New Zealand Journal of Botany abstract

Genecological aspects of flowering patterns of populations of Kunzea ericoides and K. sinclairii (Myrtaceae)

W. HARRIS

Manaaki Whenua - Landcare Research
P. O. Box 69
Lincoln, New Zealand

Abstract  Kunzea ericoides populations from 25 locations in New Zealand and two in Australia, and a Kunzea sinclairii population from Great Barrier Island, New Zealand, were grown in two plantings at Lincoln, New Zealand. Years to first flowering and times and duration of flowering each year differed significantly between populations. Flowering time was advanced by higher temperature sums in July-December but retarded by this factor in January-June. Flowering duration increased as plants aged. Most populations that flowered first at an early age also did so earlier and for longer in each flowering season than populations that were less precocious. Several groupings of populations with different reproductive strategies, ranging from quick maturing and profusely flowering to slow maturing and sparsely flowering, could be derived according to their region of origin. The Australian populations were characterised by their synchronous and profuse flowering. For a southern New Zealand group of populations, flowering time was delayed as latitude of origin increased. South Island populations showed both regional and site-specific adaptations of reproductive strategies. Variation in flowering synchrony of individual plants in populations and correlation of individual shrub flowering in different years were observed. It is hypothesised that this variation underlies adaptation to the probability of conditions favourable for flower maturation at the sites of origin.

Keywords  Kunzea ericoides; K. sinclairii; flowering maturity; flowering pattern; reproductive strategy; ecotypic adaptation; New Zealand; Australia

B95020

Received 4 May 1995; accepted 4 March 1996

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