Abstract
The Western Australian annual of restricted distribution,Villarsia congestiflora, has distylous flowers and pollen-size heteromorphism. Results of a crossing program indicate that this species is strongly self-incompatible, that crosses among individuals of the same morph produce little or no seed, and that intermorph crosses produce copious seed. The species shares a number of morphological and ecological traits withV. capitata, another distylous, self-incompatible annual species of Western Australia with a greater area of distribution. Artificial hybrids between the two, however, showed reduced pollen stainability. Both species combine a number of specialized morphological features with a breeding system that is primitive for the familyMenyanthaceae.
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References
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Ornduff, R. Distyly and incompatibility inVillarsia congestiflora (Menyanthaceae), with comparative remarks onV. capitata . Pl Syst Evol 159, 81–83 (1988). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00937426
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00937426