Breeding system features and a novel method for locating floral nectar secretion in a South American nightshade (Jaltomata quipuscoae)

Abstract

The location of nectar secretion in flowers of Jaltomata has not been identified with certainty until now: removal of the corolla and androecium from one side of living flowers allowed us to see, in progress, nectar secretion by the ovarian nectary. We studied Jaltomata quipuscoae, a wild plant that grows in southern Peru and produces copious, red floral nectar. Unmanipulated flowers do not set fruit in a pollinator-free greenhouse, demonstrating lack of autogamy, but self-compatibility was demonstrated by manual self-pollinations leading to fruit-set. Anther dehiscence is staggered with the anthers of a flower dehiscing over hours on the same day. The corolla and nectar are UV-absorptive. Flowers last 4–10 days, are usually protogynous during the first day the corolla is open, and do not close for the night.

Keywords:

• Andes Mountains
• herkogamy
• floral attraction
• floral longevity
• protogyny
• red nectar
• Peru
• petal spots

Acknowledgements

We thank Joseph Soucy for dissection of living flowers to locate the floral nectary, Donald Blume for care of living plants, Tina M. Marshall for preparation of figures, and Gregory J. Anderson, Gabriel Bernardello and David A. Spector for helpful comments.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

J.L.K. was financially supported by the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program [NSF DEB 1342962].