Abortion occurs during double fertilisation and ovule development inPaeonia ludlowii

Abstract

Paeonia ludlowii, a rare and endangered species, is indigenous to Tibet, China and propagated only by seed. Its natural reproduction is constrained by low fecundity. Excess seed abortion is a key factor restricting its natural reproduction, cultivation, introduction, and protection. In this study, we examined the characteristics of aborted ovules, developmental differences after flowering of normal and aborted ovules, and their ratios at different positions in P. ludlowii ovary. During pollination, fertilisation, and seed development, ovule abortion was frequent, with a random abortion position. There were four types of abortion, namely, abnormal pistil, sterile ovules, abnormal embryo sac, embryo and endosperm abortions. Of these, embryo and endosperm abortions could be divided into early abortion, middle abortion, and late abortion. The early aborted ovules stopped growing on day 12, the endoblast and endosperm in the embryo sac aborted gradually. Furthermore, the shape of the embryo sac cavity changed. The volume of aborted ovules was significantly different from that of fertile ovules. At ripening, the external morphology of different types of aborted seeds was significantly different.

Leaf Epidermal Morphology of Ten Wild Tree Peonies in China and Its Taxonomic Significance

“…The classification of the wild resources for tree peony has long been controversial. Stern and Taylor [4,5] described the wild tree peony (P. ludlowii (Stern and G. Taylor) D. Y. Hong) cultivated from seeds collected in the Brahmaputra valley of Milin in southeastern Tibet. They treated it as a variety, P. lutea var.…”