Reassessing morphological homologies in the early-divergent angiosperm Fenerivia (annonaceae) based on floral vascular anatomy: significance for interpreting putative homeotic mutations.

Abstract

Fenerivia species (Annonaceae) are characterized by a prominent flange immediately below the perianth, which has been interpreted as synapomorphic for the genus. The homology of this flange is controversial: previous studies of Fenerivia heteropetala (an aberrant species, with 12 perianth parts in three whorls) have suggested that the flange may represent a vestigial calyx resulting from a disruption to the homeotic control of organ identity during floral development. Comparative data on floral vasculature in Fenerivia capuronii are presented to elucidate the homology of the flange in other Fenerivia species (which possess nine perianth parts in three whorls, typical of most Annonaceae). The flange in F. capuronii differs from that in F. heteropetala as it is unvascularized. It is nevertheless suggested that the flange is likely to be homologous, and that a homeotic mutation in the F. heteropetala lineage resulted in the formation of a vestigial but vascularized calyx that fused with the otherwise unvascularized flange.