Floral Diagrams: An Aid to Understanding Flower Morphology and Evolution

by Louis P. Ronse De Craene

• ISBN13: 9780521729451
• ISBN10: 0521729459
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2010-03-22
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Summary

Floral morphology remains the cornerstone for plant identification and studies of plant evolution. This guide gives a global overview of the floral diversity of the angiosperms through the use of detailed floral diagrams. These schematic diagrams replace long descriptions or complicated drawings as a tool for understanding floral structure and evolution. They show important features of flowers, such as the relative positions of the different organs, their fusion, symmetry, and structural details. The relevance of the diagrams is discussed, and pertinent evolutionary trends are illustrated. The range of plant species represented reflects the most recent classification of flowering plants based mainly on molecular data, which is expected to remain stable in the future. This book is invaluable for researchers and students working on plant structure, development and systematics, as well as being an important resource for plant ecologists, evolutionary botanists and horticulturists.

Author Biography

Dr Louis P. Ronse De Craene is Director of the M.Sc. course on the Biodiversity and Taxonomy of Plants at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh. He is a world-leading expert in floral morphology, with emphasis on floral development. His research interests centre on the structural complexity and evolution of flowers and encompass a broad range of angiosperm families.

Table of Contents

Foreword	p. xi
Preface	p. xiii
Acknowledgments	p. xv
Introduction to floral diagrams	p. 1
Introduction to flower morphology	p. 3
Definition of flowers	p. 3
Floral organs	p. 5
Perianth	p. 5
Androecium	p. 8
Gynoecium	p. 14
The floral axis and receptacle	p. 18
Floral nectaries	p. 21
Relationship of flowers with inflorescences	p. 22
Terminal and lateral flowers	p. 22
Pseudanthia	p. 23
Bracts and bracteoles	p. 24
Epicalyx and calyculus	p. 24
Symmetry and orientation of flowers	p. 25
Phyllotaxis	p. 28
Whorls and spirals	p. 28
Merism	p. 30
Aestivation patterns	p. 32
Fusion of floral parts	p. 33
Congenital and postgenital fusion	p. 33
Sympetaly and common stamen-petal tubes	p. 34
Floral diagrams	p. 36
Definition and significance of floral diagrams	p. 36
Types of floral diagrams	p. 37
Floral diagrams and floral formulae	p. 38
Problems of three-dimensional complexity	p. 39
Representation of accessory structures	p. 41
Floral heteromorphism and unisexual flowers	p. 43
Floral development and floral diagrams	p. 44
Evolutionary developmental genetics and floral diagrams	p. 48
Floral diagrams used in this book	p. 51
Floral diagrams in the major clades	p. 55
Systematic significance of floral diagrams	p. 57
Floral diagrams and molecular phylogeny	p. 57
Molecular and morphological characters	p. 57
The Angiosperm Phylogeny Group classification	p. 59
Fossil flowers and floral diagrams	p. 61
Overview of floral diagrams in the major clades of flowering plants	p. 62
Basal angiosperms: the ascent of flowers	p. 63
The ANA-grade: Amborellales, Austrobaileyales, Nymphaeales	p. 63
Magnoliales	p. 70
Laurales	p. 75
Piperales	p. 82
Monocots: variation on a trimerous Bauplan	p. 88
The basal monocots: Acorales and Alismatales	p. 88
The lilioids: Asparagales, Dioscoreales, Pandanales, Liliales	p. 98
The commelinids: Arecales, Commelinales, Poales, Zingiberales	p. 112
Early diverging eudicots: a transition between two worlds	p. 129
Ranunculales	p. 129
The basal eudicot grade: Sabiales, Proteales, Trochodendrales, Buxales	p. 140
Basal core eudicots: the event of pentamerous flowers	p. 149
Gunnerales and Berberidopsidales	p. 149
Santalales	p. 154
Dilleniales	p. 159
Caryophyllids: how to reinvent lost petals	p. 163
Polygonales	p. 164
Core Caryophyllales	p. 175
Rosids: the diplostemonous alliance	p. 193
Saxifragales	p. 193
Malvids	p. 203
Early diverging malvids: Geraniales, Myrtales	p. 203
Remaining malvids: Malvales, Brassicales, Sapindales	p. 217
Fabids	p. 243
COM-clade: Celastrales-Oxalidales-Malpighiales	p. 244
Remaining fabids: Cucurbitales, Fabales, Fagales, Rosales	p. 269
Asterids: tubes and pseudanthia	p. 292
Basal asterids: Cornales, Ericales	p. 292
Lamiids: Solanales, Gentianales, Lamiales	p. 314
Campanulids: Dipsacales, Apiales, Asterales	p. 333
Conclusions	p. 349
Distinctive systematic characters and cryptic apomorphies	p. 351
Floral diagrams and major angiosperm groups	p. 353
Basal angiosperms, monocots and early diverging eudicots	p. 353
Core eudicots	p. 357
Outlook	p. 364
References	p. 365
Glossary	p. 403
Taxonomic index	p. 414
Subject index	p. 430
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