Early Evolution of Flowers

The recent discovery of a large number of excellently preserved fossil flowers, studied with new techniques, and the comparative study of the flowers of extant basal clades of the angiosperms revolutionized the conception of early flower evolution. This volume brings together contributions of 17 palaeo- and neobotanists including critical reviews on the origin of flowers and the homologies of angiosperm floral organs, on the relationships of floral traits of magnoliids to those of lower eudicots (ranunculids, hamamelidids, dilleniids) and monocots, and articles on particular new Cretaceous fossils and new results on extant groups. These studies also influence the notion of early angiosperm evolution and of the macrosystematics of flowering plants. Front Matter....Pages i-v Introduction — Major trends in the study of early flower evolution....Pages 1-6 Origin of the angiosperm flower: a phylogenetic perspective....Pages 7-29 Angiosperm floral structures from the Early Cretaceous of Portugal....Pages 31-49 Palaeobotanical evidence on the early radiation of magnoliid angiosperms....Pages 51-72 Flowers of Turonian Magnoliidae and their implications....Pages 73-91 Patterns of floral evolution in the early diversification of non-magnoliid dicotyledons (eudicots)....Pages 93-122 Elsemaria , a Late Cretaceous angiosperm fructification from Hokkaido, Japan....Pages 123-135 Ontogeny of staminate and carpellate flowers of Schisandra glabra ( Schisandra )....Pages 137-158 Floral aspects of Barclaya ( Nymphaeaceae ): pollination, ontogeny and structure....Pages 159-173 Evolutionary aspects of the floral structure in Ceratophyllum ....Pages 175-183 Petal evolution in Ranunculaceae ....Pages 185-191 Flowers in Magnoliidae and the origin of flowers in other subclasses of the angiosperms. I. The relationships between flowers of Magnoliidae and Alismatidae ....Pages 193-208 Flowers in Magnoliidae and the origin of flowers in other subclasses of the angiosperms. II. The relationships between flowers of Magnoliidae , Dilleniidae , and Caryophyllidae ....Pages 209-218 Back Matter....Pages 219-233