Breeding system
To identify the breeding system of H. mutabilis , 160 flowers from
30 individual plants experienced four pollination treatments in
September 2023. Flowers were randomly chosen from different plants to
reduce the possible effect of resource reallocation on the fruit set,
and were enclosed with fine-mesh polyester bags to exclude any visitors
before the artificial treatments. To test for potential autogamy, 40
flowers were caged to exclude any insects. In addition, 40 flowers were
hand-pollinated with self-pollen grains from flowers of the same
individual, and another 40 flowers were hand-pollinated with outcross
pollen grains from multiple flowers of other individuals to test for any
differences in seed production between selfing and outcrossing. The
remaining 40 flowers without any treatment were exposed to open
pollination as a natural control. Four weeks later, the fruits produced
by these flowers were harvested, and the seeds and undeveloped ovules in
each fruit were counted.