Types of floral nectaries and the concepts ‘character’ and ‘character-state‘-a reconsideration

Abstract

A new approach to the concepts ‘character’ and ‘character-state’, as well as additional observations on the floral nectaries, resulted in more comprehensive insights into the relations among the floral nectary types. Instead of treating the 1986 nectary types (nectaria caduca, n. persistentia, n. septalia and n. trichomalia) on a par, a hierarchical ordering is presented. Within the hierarchical system—which comprises types of floral nectaries delineated on the basis of their respective morphological nature—higher and lower level characters and character-states are distinguished. The n. trichomalia are not integrated in this character ordination because the presence of nectariferous trichomes is considered to be a feature of a different level. In addition, a proposal is made to replace the term ‘n. septalia‘ by ‘n. gynopleurica‘.