Abortive flower

An abortive flower[1] is a flower that has a stamen but an under developed, or no pistil.[2] It falls without producing fruit or seeds, due to its inability to fructify. Flowers require both male and female organs to reproduce, and the pistils and ovary serve as female organs, while the stamens are considered male organs.

Illustrative examples include Urginea nagarjunae and Trichilogaster acaciaelongifoliae.

Causes of Flower Abortion

Pollinated flowers and fruits can abort selectively. It could be because of the order of pollination, the number of developing seeds, pollen source, or some combination of these.[3] Flowers and fruits can also abort because of outside causes like insufficient light, unsuitable photo-period, high temperature, nutrient deficiency, ethylene, drought stress. [4]

There is research to suggest that random selective abortions based on the timing of fertilization could increase the genetic quality of seeds.[5] The age of the flower also has an effect on the percentage of abortion. The older the flower, the more likely it is to be aborting the fruit or pollen.[6]

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See also

References
  1. Smith, Arma A. (1896). "Abortive Flower Buds of Trillium". Botanical Gazette. 22 (5): 402–403. doi:10.1086/327429. ISSN 0006-8071. JSTOR 2464003.
  2. "Websters Dictionary 1828 - Webster's Dictionary 1828 - abortive". Websters Dictionary 1828. Retrieved 2018-10-08.
  3. Stephenson, A G (1981). "Flower and Fruit Abortion: Proximate Causes and Ultimate Functions". Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics. 12 (1): 253–279. doi:10.1146/annurev.es.12.110181.001345. ISSN 0066-4162.
  4. "Causes of Flower Bud Abortion - Greenhouse Product News". Greenhouse Product News. Retrieved 2018-10-08.
  5. Ezoe, Hideo (2018-06-09). "Excessive flower production as an anti-predator strategy: when is random flower abortion favored?". Population Ecology. 60 (3): 275–286. doi:10.1007/s10144-018-0625-6. ISSN 1438-3896.
  6. Ferguson, Nesta (1924). "On The Determination of the Percentage of Abortive Pollen in Plants". Journal of Experimental Biology. 2: 65–73 – via The Company of Biologists Ltd.


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