A natural mixed stand of Phragmites australis and Phacelurus latifolius was studied to clarify the distribution properties in a microsite in a tidal flat of Suncheon Bay. The height, density, and biomass of the shoots, as well as the biomass of the root system, were monitored for both species along with the altitude on a mound from June 2010 to October 2013. Firstly, the mean height and dry weight of both species were similar during the growth season. However, individual variations of the sizes of plants in the same species were noticeable. Secondly, the density and dry weight per unit area of P. latifolius increased, but that of P. australis decreased with the altitude on the mound. Thirdly, the root system (rhizomes and roots) of P. latifolius was mostly located in the upper layer (up to 20 cm depth), while that of P. australis was in the lower layer (over 70 cm depth) of the sediment. The roots of P. australis penetrated to the lower parts of the water table, while the roots of P. latifolius did not make contact with free water of the sediment. Fourthly, the removal of the shoot in the early growth season led to a visible reduction of biomass in the late growth season. The reduction rate was larger in P. latifolius than in P. australis. Lastly, in the area where the mound was removed, the density of P. australis increased in the first two years (2010-2011) and was highly sustained inthe last two years (2012)(2013). However, the density of P. latifolius was low, and this plant was distributed at the edge of the mound only.

We tested various pretreatments to enhance the germination of 'Sea bells' (Calystegia soldanella Roem. et Schult).One experiment, which improved the germination rate by 70%, involved first scarifying the seed coats, then immersing the seeds in 50 ppm GA3 for 24 h. A GA3-alone pretreatment did not increase germination. However, the most effective method, with a 100% success rate, included 3 h of acid pretreatment with 98% H2SO4. We also used scan. ning electron microscopy (SEM) to examine the seed-coat surfaces and cross-sections of dry seeds. SEM showed structural differences between seeds that were not treated and those exposed to 98% H2SO4. The latter treatment allowed the seed coats to crack and break, thereby disrupting their physical dormancy.Keyword: Calystegia soldanella, GA3, H2SO4, scarification, seed germination, SEMThe Calystegia soldanella plant (Sea bells; Convolvulaceae) is endemic to coastal sand dunes. It blooms from May to June, and the seeds ripen in August. Its subterranean stems are used as a traditional diuretic medicine. Those long stems also allow the plants to retain sandy soils, making this species ideal for the restoration of coastal dunes and erosion control. Despite its great value in ecological preservation, it has been difficult to maintain appropriate habitats for C. soldanella because interference from human activities has caused the loss of coastal dunes. To solve these problems, the populations of sand dune species, e.g., C. soldanella, Elyrnus mollis, and Carex kobomugi, must be perpetuated. For example, several methods are available for propagating C. soldanella, including by seed, tissue and cell culture, and cuttings.Various chemical strategies can improve seed germination rates, such as the application of gibberellic acid (Miyoshi and Sato, 1997; Bhattacharya and Khuspe, 2001;Puppala and Fowler, 2002;Padilla and Encina, 2003), sulfuric acid (Ishikawa et al., 1993; Sozzi and Chiesa, 1995;Demel, 1998), and potassium nitrate (KNO3) (Bungard et al., 1997;Kang et al., 2001). In addition, one can use hydrationdehydration treatments (Ren and Tao, 2003), scarification (Baes and Viana, 2001), or smoke and heat (Morris et al., 2000;Tieu et al., 2001) to increase success.Seed dormancy can be caused by either embryo immaturity or poor imbibition of water and gas exchange through the seed coat. In the latter case, such as with C. soldanella, dormancy can be broken by treating those hard coverings. The function of the seed coat is to protect the embryo and endosperm from desiccation, mechanical injury, unfavorable temperatures, and attacks by bacteria, fungi, and insects (Bhojwani and Bhatnagar, 1978).In the present study, we investigated the most effective methods for enhancing in vivo germination of C. soldanella by pretreating seeds with gibberellic acid, sulfuric acid, or scarification. We also observed the external and cross-sectional structures of the seed coat via scanning electron microscopy. MATERIALS AND METHODS Seed CollectionSeeds of C. soldanella were collected in August and...

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Adonis multiflora is a spring ephemeral herb growing in temperate deciduous forests. To determine the flowering properties of a natural population of A. multiflora, air temperature, flowering time, and flower-falling were monitored from February 2009 to May 2011. The A. multiflora population in this study started flowering in early March and ended it in mid-April. The average flowering duration of a flower was 14.4 days in 2009 and 19.6 days in 2011. The average duration of flower-falling was between 3.4 days and 4.2 days for three years. Cumulative flowering rate (CFR) was correlated with year day (YD), year day index (YDI), and Nuttonson's index (Tn), with correlation coefficients (CC) of over 0.9 at the 1% significance level; CC value between CFR and YD was the largest and that between CFR and YDI was the smallest. However, at the 5% significance level, CFR was closely related with Tn more than any other factors. The CCs between flowering times of two years in each plant were high and significant at 1% level. The YD value of flowering time of a flower was inversely related to its flowering duration significantly for three years. In a given plant, when more flowering started early, the flowering duration was longer. The first flower blossomed on 73.4

Background: The aim of this study was to examine the resource allocation among the organs and the leaf morphology of Polygonatum humile. The data were collected from June 2014 to May 2015 in a natural P. humile stand of a temperate forest gap. Results: The dry weight of new rhizome (R 0 ) sharply decreased to the time of new shoot sprouting in next year and was constant for 2~3 years. However, dry weight of root on R 0 increased to the end of growth season and, thereafter, decreased slowly along the time elapsed. The correlation coefficients between the rhizome and the leaf sizes were 0.5 for the last year's rhizome (R 1 ) and 0.6 for R 0 and were significant at 0.1% level for R 0 . The increase of one leaf a plant led to increase of the total leaf area, total leaf weight, and stem length. Moreover, the organ sizes' differences between two plants of the one leaf difference were almost significant at 1% level. In 11-leaf plant, the leaf length/width ratio and specific lea area increased to the second, relative leaf area to the fourth and relative leaf dry weight to the fifth, and thereafter, decreased to the last leaf. The differences in the values of these four parameters between two leaves on a stem were almost significant at 5% level. Conclusion: P. humile examined showed the close relationships between the last year's rhizome or this year's one and the shoot system (leaf and stem) sizes. The leaf number a shoot greatly influenced specific leaf area. P. humile's leaf might showed diverse morphology with leaf rank on a stem in a forest gap environment.

A natural population of Adonis multiflora, a spring ephemeral herb growing in temperate deciduous forests, was studied to determine the seed production characteristics. Plant size, flowering time, and seed number were monitored from February 2009 to May 2011 in main growing season (i.e., from March through May). The biomass rates of the shoot and the root in the A. multiflora population were 22-24% and 76-78%, respectively, and the biomass of the root was proportional to that of the shoot. The flowering rate was 60% in the plants with 1 to 2 g of shoot biomass, and 100% in the plants with >2 g of shoot biomass. In the plants with root biomass between 4 and 6 g, the flowering rate was 43% and, in the plants with the root biomass over 8 g, it was 100%. The shoot biomass was a better predictor of the flower production probability than the root biomass. The number of flowers and seeds was closely correlated to shoot biomass at 1% significance level. The size of the plant that produced seed excessively instead of the shoot biomass in one year typically decreased in the next year and vice versa. The flowering time and its duration were closely related to the number of faithful seeds but not to that of total seeds. The number of faithful seeds was proportionate to flowering duration and inversely proportionate to flowering time (year day, YD). In a plant, the number of faithful seeds noticeably decreased with the inflorescence (i.e., order of flower in a plant), and this difference between the two successive flowers was significant at the 1% level between the first and the third flower in 2009 and 2011 but not between the third and the fourth. However, the number of total seeds was mostly similar in the first through the fourth flower for all three years.