Cauliflory

Cauliflory is a botanical term referring to plants that flower and fruit from their main stems or woody trunks, rather than from new growth and shoots.

[5] The development of buds in axillary cauliflorous species occurs through either the re-use of the same position or old tissue over seasons of growth or release from dormancy.

[7] One frequently suggested hypothesis for the evolution of cauliflory is to allow trees to be pollinated or have their seeds dispersed by animals, especially bats, that climb on trunks and sturdy limbs to feed on the nectar and fruits.

[4] Alternative hypotheses have focused on competition for sugar and minerals between flowers and young leaves,[9] mechanical support for larger flowers and fruits particularly in Atrocarpus and Durio,[10] and evolutionary theory built on the plant as a metapopulation and differential rates of mutations across large plant bodies.

Examples are known mostly from the plant families Annonaceae and Moraceae such as a species of Desmopsisterriflora but also include Couroupita guianensis (Lecythidaceae) and the cactus Weberocereus tunilla (Cactaceae).