Heterodichogamy and thrips-pollination in Platycarya strobilacea

Heterodichogamy, a dimorphism in which two morphs coexist in a population and undergo synchronous reciprocal sex changes, is an extremely rare and poorly understood sexual system. Fukuhara and Tokumaru study Platycarya strobilacea (Juglandaceae) and demonstrate that it is heterodichogamous based on observations of inflorescence architecture, sexual expression and pollination biology. Pollination by thrips is suggested by their frequent presence with attached pollen grains, the scarcity of other insect visitors, the synchronicity of thrips number in male spikes with the maturation of female flowers, and the morphological characters shared with previously reported thrips-pollinated plants.