Floral evolution: dramatic size change was recent and rapid in the world's largest flowers

Abstract:

Recent studies clarifying the closest relatives of the world's largest flowers, Rafflesiaceae, whose floral diameters range from approximately 11 to approximately 100 cm, indicated that they evolved from tiny-flowered ancestors in a burst of floral gigantism. New data now suggest that floral size evolution within Rafflesiaceae may be more dynamic than expected, with both recent and rapid changes in flower size.

Notes:

Davis, Charles CengEngland2008/12/17 09:00Curr Biol. 2008 Dec 9;18(23):R1102-4. doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2008.10.011.