Diversity and evolution of flowers
The flowering plants represent the most significant radiation in the plant kingdom and they dominate most terrestrial ecosystems. Their success is intimately connected with the diversification of floral structure and floral biology. The study of flowers is therefore of fundamental significance for a more comprehensive understanding of the diversity and evolution of the group. In our current research, we integrate results from the fields of comparative morphology, floral development, palaeobotany, and phylogenetics in order to explain the manifold forms and functions of flowers in various taxonomic groups as well as the evolutionary history of the flowering plants as a whole.
CT Ophris tenthredinifera whole Flower (copyright Y. Städler)
CT Rafflesia stamen thekae and vasculature (copyright Y. Städler)