Finis coronat axem: Terminal infl orescences in tribe Fabeae (Fabaceae: Faboideae)

Abstract

The comparison of inflorescence symmetry was conducted for wild-type plants of Pisum sativum and Vicia faba together with mutants which have a distorted inflorescence structure: det of pea and ti of broad bean with terminal flower-bearing racemes, fa of pea with an expressed stem fasciation and double pea mutants fa det with the many-flowered terminal raceme. The pendulum symmetry of the whole shoot is demonstrated for indeterminate plants of pea and broad bean. The rare spiral symmetry of an inflorescence is also demonstrated. The changes in symmetry of a partial inflorescence when altering its position from lateral to terminal are described. The role of dominance of a terminal raceme in evolution of leguminous inflorescence is hypothesized.