An AGAMOUS-like factor is associated with the origin of two domesticated varieties in Cymbidium sinense (Orchidaceae)

Abstract

Floral development: How the plum blossom orchid got its shape A single gene underlies the remarkable differences between the flowers of two varieties of the popular orchid Cymbidium sinense. Orchid flowers are highly specialized, with many unique flower structures. Although the genetics of flower development have been well-studied, they are not as well understood in orchids. Xia Huang at Sun Yat-sen University in China and coworkers studied the genetics underlying differences between a standard C. sinense flower and a flower of the “Ling-Nan-Da-Mei” or plum-blossom variety, in which the tepals (the outer petal-like structures) strongly resemble stamens (which produce pollen). They found that in the “Ling-Nan-Da-Mei” flowers, a gene that controls stamen development is also switched on in the tepals, giving them a more stamen-like shape. Studying how genetic changes affect flower form can illuminate how so many different types of flowers evolved.