LOTUS UNIFOLIOLATUS VAR. HELLERI (FABACEAE) PHENOLOGY AND RESPONSE TO SIMULATED MOWING

Lotus unifoliolatus var. helleri (Fabaceae, Carolina Birdsfoot Trefoil or Trefoil) is an annual species of Federal Concern and is Significantly Rare in North Carolina. Trefoil occurs on mowed roadsides in the North Carolina Piedmont. The phenology and simulated mowing study reported here was conduct...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of the North Carolina Academy of Science 2008-04, Vol.124 (1), p.6-10
Main Authors: MASSON, ROBERT N., STUCKY, JON M.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Annuals
Flowers
Growing seasons
Mortality
Mowing
Phenology
Plants
Seed pods
Seed production
Seedlings
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Summary:Lotus unifoliolatus var. helleri (Fabaceae, Carolina Birdsfoot Trefoil or Trefoil) is an annual species of Federal Concern and is Significantly Rare in North Carolina. Trefoil occurs on mowed roadsides in the North Carolina Piedmont. The phenology and simulated mowing study reported here was conducted in eastern Wake County, North Carolina. Five phenology stages were recognized: main stem growth, lateral branch growth, flowering, seed pod production, and seed pod dehiscence. Stem clipping was used to simulate mowing. Survivorship of clipped plants was only 3%; the single surviving plant did not produce seeds. Survivorship of unclipped plants was 47%, and each plant produced approximately 100 viable seeds. Thus, mowing during several successive growing seasons could repeatedly prevent seed production and lead to seed bank depletion, thereby threatening the population. A strategy for managing Trefoil populations is recommended.
ISSN:2167-5872
2167-5880