The Reproductive Biology of Erythronium propullans Gray and Sympatric Populations of E. albidum Nutt. (Liliaceae)

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Abstract
The reproductive biology of E. propullans Gray, a highly restricted species of southeastern Minnesota [USA], and sympatric populations of E. albidum Nutt., a widespread species of eastern North America, was investigated and compared. Breeding studies demonstrated that E. albidum is facultatively outcrossing and produces seed when pollinated with E. propullans. In contrast, E. propullans produces seed in low quantities only when pollinated with E. albidum. The lack of seed production when E. propullans is crossed with conspecific pollen may be due to the species being one self-incompatible clone distributed in space. The primary insect pollinator of both species is the miner bee Andrena carlini. Although putative hybrid plants between the 2 spp. occur in the field, their rarity suggests that very little interspecific gene flow occurs. Possible factors promoting reproductive isolation include competition for pollinators and the microhabitat preferences between the 2 spp. The paucity of natural seed production and the scarcity of putative hybrids suggest that E. propullans persists almost entirely by vegetative reproduction and that the species is genetically uniform.
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