Abstract
The shapes of flowers and the cross-compatibility of Curculigo latifolia, which produces a taste-modifying protein, neoculin, were investigated for the purpose of setting fruits in Japan as a resource of neoculin. C. latifolia is an andromonoecious plant, that is, flowers in a lower position in an inflorescence are hermaphrodite with long styles, although flowers in higher positions are staminate with short styles. This shows that 22% of all flowers were hermaphroditic in an inflorescence. By the hand-pollination study, the largest rate of setting C. latifolia fruits was shown by the 5th day from the first flowering. The rates of fruit set were gradually reduced after that day. The number of fruits peaked by the 13th day from first flowering. On the other hand, the rate of fruit setting was shown to be 45% by cross-pollination and 4% by self-pollination. These results indicate that C. latifolia has self-incompatibility. To improve the rate of fruit setting of C. latifolia, it is necessary to pollinate compatible pollen by around the 15th day after the first flowering.
