DIVERSIDAD MORFOLÓGICA DEL ANDROCEO Y GINECEO DE 17 ESPECIES DE PAPILIONOIDEAE (FABACEAE) NATIVAS DEL VALLE DE LERMA (SALTA-ARGENTINA) Y SU RELACIÓN CON ALGUNOS ASPECTOS REPRODUCTIVOS.

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]