Male flowers in Liliaceae are more frequent than previously thought

Abstract

In the last twenty years a growing number of studies emphasized the occurrence of female-ster- ile reproductive systems within the monocot order Liliales. The occurrence of male flowers is here documented for the first time in Fritillaria involucrata, F. messanensis, F. montana, F. per- sica, Lilium bulbiferum subsp. croceum and Tulipa sylvestris. Increasingly frequent observa- tions of female-sterile systems within the order, and particularly in Liliaceae, suggest they could have an evolutionary significance.