A comparative ontogenetic approach to understanding the pseudomonomerous gynoecium in Moraceae

Premise of research. Moraceae, the well-known mulberry or fig family, displays small, inconspicuous, diclinous flowers that are very different from many other rosids. One remarkable condition is the gynoecium that is unilocular and uniovulate but composed of two carpels, characterizing a type of pseudomonomery. The pathways that lead to the formation of such a pseudomonomerous gynoecium are insufficiently known. Therefore, the objective of the present study was to elucidate the developmental pathways of this intriguing type of gynoecium in six species representing six of seven tribes recognized in Moraceae: Brosimum gaudichaudii, Castilla elastica, Clarisia ilicifolia, Ficus citrifolia, Maclura tinctoria, and Morus nigra.Methodology. Buds at different stages of development and flowers were processed for surface and anatomical studies.Pivotal results. The gynoecium meristem forms at first a single protuberance in the center of the flower, which then divides, originating two carpels that elongate asymmetric...