Comparative Aspects of Growth and Reproductive Biology in Arctic and Alpine Populations of Saxifraga cernua L.

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Growth and development in arctic and alpine populations of the bulbiliferous plant S. cernua L. was compared and morphological, physiological and cytological differences were observed. Alpine plants from Colorado [USA] required shorter photoperiods for optimum growth and produced larger bulbils and more bulbils per plant than arctic plants from Alaska [USA]. At 8 to 10.degree. C plants from both populations required long days to elongate and to flower, but the critical daylength was longer in arctic plants. Increasing the temperature to 16.degree. C reduced critical daylengths for plants of both populations. Fresh pollen grains from arctic plants were viable and hand pollination of arctic plants resulted in viable seeds, whereas pollen grains from alpine plants were not viable and seed set could not be effected. The diploid number of chromosomes is 60 for alpine plants and approximately 68 for arctic plants. Overwintering buds of S. cernua from Colorado [USA] are vegetative, rather than floral. Flowering is initiated in early summer subsequent to bolting and is completed within a single season. No observations were made on this aspect of development in arctic plants.

This publication has 0 references indexed in Scilit: