Inflorescences of Cuscuta (Convolvulaceae): Diversity, evolution and relationships with breeding systems and fruit dehiscence modes

Cuscuta (dodder) includes ca. 200 species of plant obligate stem parasites with enormous ecological and economical significance. Inflorescences have been historically used in Cuscuta for species descriptions and identification keys, but no comprehensive study exists to date. The main objectives of this study were to survey the diversity and evolution of inflorescences and to uncover their possible form-function relationships. The inflorescence architecture of 132 Cuscuta taxa was analysed using herbarium specimens and eight species were grown to study their inflorescence development. Inflorescence traits were mapped into a genus phylogeny obtained from a combined analysis of nuclear ITS and plastid trnL-F sequences. To test the hypothesis that inflorescence architecture is connected to sexual reproduction, correlations between inflorescence traits (using Principal Components), sexual reproductive traits (pollen/ovule ratios, corolla length and diameter), fruit charaters (fruit length and width), and the modes of dehiscence were analyzed. Based on their development, three major types of inflorescences were observed: “Cuscuta type”, a simple, monochasial scorpioid cyme; “Monogynella type”, a compound monochasial scorpioid cymes with the longest primary axes having prolonged vegetative growth and giving the appearance of thyrses; and “Grammica type”, a compound monochasial scorpiod cymes with up to five orders of axes. Maximum likelihood analyses suggested Monogynella as the ancestral type, while Cuscuta and Grammica were derived. Overall, the total length of axes exhibited a reduction trend throughout the genus evolution, but it was not correlated with the pedicels length. Inflorescences with similar architectures may exhibit contrasting pollen-ovule ratios. Positive significant correlations were noted between the size of the flower traits and pollen-ovule ratios. Several modes of dehiscence had statistically significant different total axes lengths, suggesting that the infructescence architecture is connected to the modes of dehiscence in Cuscuta and therefore seed dispersal.