The functional significance of synchronous protandry in Alstroemeria aurea

摘要

1. Synchronous dichogamy, the simultaneous change in sex phases of all flowers in an inflorescence or entire plant, has been proposed to reduce self-pollination between flowers within a plant (geitonogamy) and so should leave more pollen for export and/or reduce inbreeding. We tested these hypotheses with Alstroemeria aurea Graham, a self-compatible, clonal herb with synchronous protandrous inflorescences.