Cyathium Evolution in Euphorbieae (Euphorbiaceae)
SEM of Euphorbia peplus cyathium. Credit: G. Prenner.
A unique morphological feature of Euphorbia and its close allies is its inflorescence - the cyathium - which resembles a bisexual flower. The cyathium is a cuplike structure of fused bracts, with a single terminal female flower surrounded by four or five male inflorescences. Perianth parts are absent in Euphorbiinae, but present in the related subtribe Anthosteminae and female flowers of Neoguillauminiinae. In Euphorbiinae, constrictions below the filament or gynoecium are sometimes regarded as evidence for the position of a suppressed perianth. We examine the detailed structure and ontogeny of the flower and cyathium in selected species from a representative sample of genera and subgenera within the tribe Euphorbieae. Our primary aims are to develop hypotheses regarding the origin and evolution of the euphorbioid cyathium and to test them in a developmental-genetic context.
Project Team
Project Leader: Rudall, Paula
Jodrell Laboratory
Gerhard Prenner (Research Associate), Paula Rudall
Funders
Austria
Austrian Science Fund (FWF)