Inflorescences of Cuscuta (Convolvulaceae): Diversity, evolution and relationships with breeding systems and fruit dehiscence modes.

ABSTRACT: Cuscuta (dodder) includes ca. 200 species of plant obligate stem parasites with enormous ecological and economical significance. Inflorescences have been historically used in Cuscuta for species descriptions and identification keys, but no comprehensive study exists to date. The main objectives of this study were to survey the diversity and evolution of inflorescences and to uncover their possible form-function relationships. The inflorescence architecture of 132 Cuscuta taxa was analysed using herbarium specimens and eight species were grown to study their inflorescence development. Inflorescence traits were mapped into a genus phylogeny obtained from a combined analysis of nuclear ITS and plastid trnL-F sequences. To test the hypothesis that inflorescence architecture is connected to sex

SUBMITTER: Glofcheskie M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10198556 | biostudies-literature | 2023

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature