The Staminal Lever Mechanism in Salvia L. (Lamiaceae) - a Review

2003

Abstract: The genus Salvia encompasses about 900 species distributed world-wide. It is characterized by the famous staminal lever mechanism of the flower which is one of the best known examples of a nototribic pollination mechanism. We hypothesize that structure and functioning of the staminal levers play a major role as key structures in speciation. To cope with the complex evolutionary processes involved, a number of different methodological approaches are needed. The present paper summarizes the literature referring to structural and functional diversity, breeding systems, systematics and evolution in Salvia.