The Potential for Selective Seed Maturation in Achillea Ptarmica (Asteraceae)

I examined whether there is a potential for selective abortion associated with the consistently low seed-ovule ratio in Achillea ptarmica, a self-incompatible clonal plant with single-ovuled flowers arranged in dense inflorescences. Maternal plants raised in a greenhouse differed widely in their fertility following hand-pollination, ranging from plants that were effectively female sterile to individuals in which more than 80% of the ovules matured into seeds. This variation was largely genetic, as shown by a strong between-year consistency and a high clonal repeatability