The breeding system of an endangered dioecious species, Woonyoungia septentrionalis (Dandy) Law, was studied in two natural populations, the Mulun population and the Dahuangni population, in Guangxi Province, China from June 2001 to early September 2002. The female flowers from previously bagged buds were treated respectively with paper bags, net bags and hand pollination by comparing with natural pollination. The results showed that female flowers treated with paper bags, net bags, hand pollination, and natural pollination all set fruits and seeds, but there was great difference in their fruit set, seed set, pre-emergent reproductive success (PERS) and seed germination rate for two populations. In both populations, PERS of hand pollination and natural pollination were higher than those of paper bagged and net bagged treatments. Among them, PERS of hand pollination was the highest, and PERS of net bagged treatment was the lowest. Both sexual reproduction and apomixis occurred simultaneously in W septentrionalis and seeds from both sexual and apomixis could germinate into seedlings. Therefore, the breeding system of W septentrionalis belonged to facultative apomixis. The apomixis in Magnoliaceae was reported for the first time.
