Ontogeny and phylogeny in Convolvulaceae-Ipomoeae: preliminary comparative remarks on ovary morphology

An interpretation of the gynoecium at various stages of development is proposed in Convolvulaceae-Ipomoeae within an ontogenetical framework, that includes changes in fruit structure allowing a classification of ovaries at anthesis. In Ipomoea, all subgenera, which probably differ in pollination syndromes, exhibit an evolutionary acceleration in the formation of fruit features, linked with a weedy annual habit, whereas the genera Stictocardia and Turbina appear to retain archaic characters, such as a woody habit, and a non-globular ovary with a protruding nectariferous disk.