Abstract
Two different types of dispersal units (called fruits in this study) were observed inSalsola komarovii Iljin. One is a fruit which has dark brown lignified tepals with long wings and a green seed and falls easily from the mother plant (long-winged type). Another has light brown lignified tepals with short wings and a yellow seed and attaches tightly to the mother plant (short-winged type). This difference of fruit type appeared independently from maturity of fruit. Seeds in the short-winged fruits were in dormancy for a longer period of time than those in the long-winged fruits. The germination rate was significantly higher in the seeds of long-winged fruits. The dormancy in seeds of the long-winged fruits was effectively terminated by reducing the temperature but the effect of chilling was very weak in seeds of the short-winged fruits. It was concluded from these observations that there exists a dimorphism in the fruits of, or a heterocarpy in,S. komarovii. The plants grown under water stress produced mostly short-winged fruits and those grown under well-watered conditions bore fruits of both types. Exogenously applied abscisic acid (ABA) tended to produce the short-winged fruits, suggesting that the heterocarpy was, at least partly, regulated by ABA.
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Yamaguchi, H., Ichihara, K., Takeno, K. et al. Diversities in morphological characteristics and seed germination behavior in fruits ofSalsola komarovii Iljin. Bot Mag Tokyo 103, 177–190 (1990). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02489624
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02489624