Heteranthery and Its Comparative Imputation in Two Wild Species of Crotalaria L.

Abstract

Flowering plants display unsurpassed diversity in the morphology of their reproductive structures, including the stamens. Stamens within a flower are usually akin in appearance, however some species possess two, or occasionally three, structurally distinct types that often differ in reproductive function. This peculiar morphological differentiation of stamens and anthers within a flower is referred to as heteranthery. It occurs in at least 20 families distributed among 12 orders including Commelinaceae, Fabaceae, Lythraceae, Melastomaceae, etc. Functional significance of this feature has also been elaborated in several species. Genus Crotalaria of family Fabaceae is a classical example displaying this mechanism. Present work carried out on two species of genus Crotalaria i.e., C. medicaginea and C. mysorensis, forming natural population at an altitude of 426–1015 m a.s.l. in subtropical regimes of Northwestern Himalayas is aimed to address relative functional significance of this dimorphism. The dimorphism of anthers that includes shape, size, dehiscence time as well as size of pollen is associated with staggered presentation of pollen in both the species. As expected, this aids in delayed selfing and assurance of seed set. However, while heteranthery plays extremely significant role in the reproductive success of C. mysorensis, extent of contribution is relatively much lower in C. medicaginea.