ISSN:
1615-6110
Keywords:
Angiosperms
;
Leguminosae
;
Medicago truncatula f.laxicycla
;
M. laxispira
;
Evolution
;
adaptation
;
seed germination
;
chromosome number
;
Flora of Libya
Source:
Springer Online Journal Archives 1860-2000
Topics:
Biology
Notes:
Abstract Medicago truncatula is a member ofMedicago sect.Spirocarpos, in which all 34 species have coiled fruit, usually tightly coiled, that permanently retain the seeds. A variant ofM. truncatula from Libya is unique for the species in possessing very loosely coiled fruits, and is here recognized as a new forma,M. truncatula f.laxicycla E. Small. In germination tests of a number of species ofMedicago, the unusual Libyan variant proved to be the only one in which rapid and simultaneous germination of most of the seeds occurred while still within a fruit. The loose coiling of the fruit of the Libyan variety appears to facilitate water entry and seedling escape. Its rapid germination might adapt it to respond quickly to intermittently available moisture, but at the cost of abandoning the strategy of intermittent germination adopted by other populations ofMedicago sect.Spirocarpos.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/BF00937692
