Selfing in Buxus wallichiana Baill.:A Trait or Strategy?

Plants of Buxus wallichiana are evergreen trees 1,2 ; these are monoecious with male and female flowers aggregated together in a cyathium. In each inflorescence, a centrally placed female flower remains surrounded by 8–14 male flowers (Figure 1a,b). Individual male flower is small, incomplete, zygomorphic and averages 5 mm in size. It consists of 4 basifixed anthers enclosed within 5 tepals (Figure 1c). Female flower is slightly smaller than males and has an average size of 4.6 mm. It consists of 5 tepals enclosing a pistil comprising of a tricarpellary ovary and three short styles spread apart with the help of three nectariferous bulges. Each style terminates into bifid stigma (Figure 1d). Ovary is syncarpous, 3 loculed and each locule has ovules attached to a central placenta. Stigma is wet and papillate.