Seed Dispersal

Jane McGary janemcgary@earthlink.net
Mon, 23 Sep 2013 19:24:00 PDT
Richard wrote
>But how do lilies, and also Erythronium appear as pioneers in 
>cutbanks or recently disturbed ground. Surely as discussed in this 
>earlier post established bulbs are released into blooming condition 
>by over-story removal.I have not found any mention in literature yet 
>of a seed movement mechanism in lily, Erythronium yet but I think 
>the flat shape adheres to passing wet animals on feet and fur, feathers.
>

Seeds of western North American Erythronium species are distributed 
by ants, which carry them off to eat a nutritive structure on the 
seed and then drop the fertile main part. An exhaustive (and to me, 
as editor, exhausting) discussion of this appeared in the Rock Garden 
Quarterly a few years ago. This is also true of western Trillium. 
Lily seeds are probably distributed not only by wind, but also by 
flowing water.

Jane McGary
Portland, Oregon, USA






More information about the pbs mailing list