ONLINE IMAGE COLLECTION

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Image Title: Tetraplasandra gymnocarpa (Hillebr.) Sherff ovary development
Image Credit: Timothy J. Motley, New York Botanical Garden
AJB Editor: Karl Niklas, Cornell University
Intended End User: Teacher, Student
License Details: BSA - Terms for Image Use
Copyright held by: BSA
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About the Image

Tetraplasandra gymnocarpa (Hillebr.) Sherff is the only species in the Araliaceae with a fully superior ovary. This endangered species is endemic to the windswept, summit cliffs of the Koolau Mountain Range of Oahu, Hawaiian Islands. The superior ovary in T. gymnocarpa developed from an inferior ovary ground plan. It is hypothesized that this evolutionary shift could be due to a shift in pollinator strategy that allowed a relaxation of the selective pressures favoring an inferior ovary.

Link to the AJB Abstract for the article:

The development of the superior ovary in Tetraplasandra (Araliaceae)

National Science Foundation  Development Supported by the National Science Foundation