Abstract
Garden asparagus has homochlamydeous flower like tulip and lily. To explain the floral morphology of Liliaceae, van Tunen et al. (1993) proposed a modified ABC model, exemplified by tulip. In this model, class B genes are expressed in whorl 1 as well as whorls 2 and 3, thus the organs of whorl 1 and 2 have the same petaloid structure. To clarify the perianth identity in asparagus, we isolated one DEF-like gene (AODEF) and two GLO-like genes (AOGLOA, AOGLOB) from asparagus. Northern blot analysis showed that these genes are specifically expressed in flower buds and not in vegetative tissues. In situ hybridization showed that these genes are expressed in whorl 2 and 3 (inner tepal and stamen), but not in whorl 1 (outer tepal). These results suggest that modified ABC model would not be applicable in asparagus and class B genes would not be involved in perianth identity in asparagus.
