CSIRO Publishing Books Journals About Us Shopping Cart You are here: Journals > Australian Journal of Botany   
Australian Journal of Botany
  Southern Hemisphere Botanical Ecosystems
 
Search
 
 
  Advanced Search
   

Journal Home
About the Journal
Editorial Board
Contacts
Content
Online Early
Current Issue
Just Accepted
All Issues
Special Issues
Turner Review Series
Sample Issue
For Authors
General Information
Notice to Authors
Submit Article
Open Access
For Referees
General Information
Review Article
Annual Referee Index
For Subscribers
Subscription Prices
Customer Service
Print Publication Dates

 Early Alert
Subscribe to our Email Alert or RSS feeds for the latest journal papers.

 Connect with us
facebook   youtube

 

Article << Previous     |     Next >>   Contents Vol 54(6)

A study of the reproductive biology of blue-flowered Conospermum species (Proteaceae)

Lynley M. Stone A C D, Kevin A. Seaton B, Margaret Byrne A, Jen A. McComb C

A Science Division, Department of Environment and Conservation, Locked Bag 104, Bentley Delivery Centre, WA 6983, Australia.
B Department of Agriculture and Food Western Australia, Plant Industries, Horticulture, Locked Bag 4, Bentley Delivery Centre, WA 6983, Australia.
C Biological Sciences, Murdoch University, Murdoch, WA 6150, Australia.
D Corresponding author. Email: lynleys@calm.wa.gov.au
 
PDF (197 KB) $25
 Export Citation
 Print
  


Abstract

Blue-flowered Conospermum species are endemic to Western Australia, and are highly sought after in the horticulture industry. Aspects of the reproductive biology of several species were investigated. The paniculate inflorescences of Conospermum eatoniae E.Pritz. contain 6–10 florets; however, the uppermost two or three florets never open and only the basal one or two florets in an inflorescence set seed. When insect pollinators are excluded, flowers do not self-pollinate and set seed. Stigma receptivity occurred for up to 6 days following triggering of the style and was variable between C. eatoniae, C. amoenum Meisn. subsp. amoenum, C. caeruleum R.Br. and C. brownii Meisn. Hand-pollination with 10 pollen genotypes and two maternal C. eatoniae parents showed that although pollen tubes were observed in the style, no seed was set. Genetic analysis of open-set seed progeny showed that C. eatoniae outcrossed infrequently when grown in clonal rows in a plantation, but outcrossing was common in wild plants. This study demonstrates that the reproductive biology of blue-flowered Conospermum is complex and requires further investigation if the species are to be widely cultivated for horticulture.

   
Subscriber Login
Username:
Password:  

    


 
Top  Email this page
 
Legal & Privacy | Contact Us | Help

CSIRO

© CSIRO 1996-2012