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Several floral traits in Papilionoideae (Fabaceae) have been correlated to certain pollination mechanisms. To test this hypothesis, we analyzed 20 qualitative and 21 quantitative floral traits of 17 species of Papilionoideae with keel flowers from various tribes and genera native to Salta, Argentina, which are representative of the four general pollination mechanisms described for the subfamily. We performed field and laboratory studies, including description of morphology, micro-morphology, position, size, and synorganization of all floral organs. Correlation between floral traits and a particular pollination mechanism was evaluated through a principal component analysis (PCA). According to our results, species with the same pollination mechanism share similar qualitative and quantitative traits, the latter being the most relevant, according to our statistical analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and aims: The species of Papilionoideae have floral traits or strategies related to the pollination mechanisms and promote cross pollination such as mechanic barriers, spatial or temporal separation of the maturation of the sexual organs, among others. The aim of this study was to provide a detailed morphological description of the androecium and gynoecium of 17 Papilionoideae species native to Lerma Valley (Salta-Argentina). M&M: We studied on field and laboratory quantitative and qualitative floral traits and analized from a functional point of view those traits that could be related to the reproductive system and to the pollination mechanisms. Results: Most of the species are homogamous and have monadelphous or pseudomonadelphous with basal fenestration androecium, monomorphic anthers, variable forms of the style and stigma, stylar trichomes, peristigmatic trichomes and stigmatic membrane. We registered for the first time some traits in some of the species, such as the spontaneous rupture of the stigmatic membrane during the anthesis and the reduction of anthers-stigma distance after the maturation of both sexual organs. Conclusions: All the studied species have floral traits associated with a reduction in selfpollination. Detailed information on morphology and other traits of the androecium and gynoecium has been obtained, and could be used to describe better their pollination mechanisms and to understand some aspects of their reproductive biology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]