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Floral morphology of wild and cultivated cowpeas

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Abstract

Some lines of one of the wild subspecies of cowpeas, Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp. subspecies mensensis, which is characterized by large, conspicuous flowers, were found to set fruits poorly in the absence of a pollinator, whereas others, including cultivated lines, set well. These differences were related to the separation of anthers and stigma, the orientation of the stigmatic surface and the hairiness of the style, and differed from other outbreeding mechanisms reported in cowpeas. The results support division of wild cowpeas into two groups and suggest that an increase in the rate of inbreeding has accompanied their domestication.

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Author notes

  1. W. M. Lush

    Present address: Botany Department, Australian National University, P.O. Box 4, Canberra, Australia

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Research initiated at International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, Ibadan, Nigeria

    W. M. Lush

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  1. W. M. Lush
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Lush, W.M. Floral morphology of wild and cultivated cowpeas. Econ Bot 33, 442–447 (1979). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02858340

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02858340

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