Gender Variation of Sequential Inflorescences in a Monoecious Plant Sagittaria trifolia (Alismataceae)

Gender variation in sequential inflorescences

Darwin deduced that the first flowers to open sometimes abort because they are useless in dichogamous plants. Huang et al. (pp. 613-622) confirmed this notion by examining gender variation in arrowhead, a protogynous aquatic herb. Generally, femaleness increases in late inflorescences due to an increase in plant size. Early male inflorescences are seen as an adaptive strategy that conserves resources and enhances the probability of pollinating female flowers.