Mirror-image flowers are evolving toward self-pollination in some populations
McCarren S, Barrett S, Fairnie A, Watchorn S, Anderson B, Illing N, Ingle RA.
Plant Signaling
If you've ever wondered why some wildflower patches produce fewer seeds or less genetic variety than others, this shows how a flower's internal architecture, not just its pollinators, can quietly rewrite its breeding strategy over generations.
Some Wachendorfia plants (relatives found in South Africa) have flowers that come in left- and right-handed mirror-image forms, a quirky trait called enantiostyly that normally forces cross-pollination between different plants. Researchers studying 42 populations found that when the mix of left- and right-handed flowers becomes lopsided, the flowers also lose the spatial gap between their pollen-producing and pollen-receiving parts, making it much easier for a flower to pollinate itself. It's the plant version of a backup plan: if cross-pollination partners are scarce, evolution nudges the flower toward self-sufficiency.
Key Findings
Studied 42 populations across three Wachendorfia species measuring morph ratios and herkogamy (spatial separation of anthers and stigmas)
Populations with equal left/right flower ratios maintained strong herkogamy, supporting cross-pollination between morphs
Biased or monomorphic populations showed reduced herkogamy and homostylous variants, both linked to increased self-pollination potential
chevron_right Technical Summary
Some plants with mirror-image flowers are quietly giving up their outcrossing system, evolving flowers where the male and female parts sit close together instead of separated, which lets the plant fertilize itself more easily.
Abstract Preview
Original paper
Breakdown of dimorphic enantiostyly is linked to reduced herkogamy and increased self-pollination.
<h4>Background and aims</h4>The evolutionary breakdown of outcrossing mechanisms has occurred repeatedly across angiosperm lineages. Stylar polymorphisms are of particular interest because their fl...
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Wachendorfia is a genus of perennial herbaceous plants that is assigned to the bloodroot family. The plants have a perennial rootstock with red sap. From the rootstock emerge lance- or line-shaped, sometime sickle-shaped, pleated, simple leaves set in a fan, that are flattened to create a left an...