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RESEARCH ARTICLE
Contents Vol 56(1)

Floral phenology in relation to pollination and reproductive output in Commelina caroliniana (Commelinaceae)

Veenu Kaul A B and A. K. Koul A
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A University of Jammu, Department of Botany, Jammu 180006, India.

B Corresponding author. Email: veenukaul@yahoo.co.in

Australian Journal of Botany 56(1) 59-66 https://doi.org/10.1071/BT05106
Submitted: 17 June 2005  Accepted: 11 September 2007   Published: 7 February 2008

Abstract

Commelina caroliniana Walter is an andromonoecious rainy-season weed. It bears staminate and hermaphrodite flowers in spathes. In some spathes, structurally hermaphrodite flowers of the third and fourth orders function either as male or female. The flowers are structured for cross-pollination. Events of floral biology suggest weak protandry which also contributes to cross-pollination. Large numbers of hymenopterans (nine species) visited the flowers and transferred pollen to stigmas. Whenever cross-pollination failed, selfing took over. Auto-fertility and self-compatibility indices revealed that the plants were self-compatible. Only some flowers of the third and fourth orders within a spathe were partially self-compatible. These facts notwithstanding, manual cross-pollination of flowers yields increased fruit and seed set.


Acknowledgements

We thank the Head of the Department of Botany, University of Jammu for providing facilities. CSIR, New Delhi, provided financial assistance to V.K. in the form of Junior and Senior Research Fellowships during the course of this research. The division of Entomology, Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi helped in insect identification. Special thanks to Dr Robert. B. Faden (Department of Botany, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC) for identifying the study material, painstakingly going through the herbarium specimens and thorough discussions on Commelinaceae. Amit and Vikram are gratefully acknowledged for their technical expertise.


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