seed dispersal

[Jim McClements, Dover, DE z6]

In a message dated 10/4/99 5:14:02 PM, oneota at AMES.NET writes:

<< Do you agree that this is how Arisaema triphyllum seeds are dispersed in
the wild? (This was posted on another list.)

"Well, now! Jack in the pulpit (or the closely related green dragon)
is another matter. I guess I should have questioned that red pericarp.

Anyway, though they are not ant-dispersed, my comments about deer
impact and increasing Trillium in your woods apply pretty well to
Arisaema, too. Natural dispersal is by being eaten by birds or mammals,
the seeds coming out unharmed in the feces. So, if you decide to
propagate artificially, it improves germination to remove them from the
red flesh."


Thanks.

MJ Hatfield

>>

MJ

I'm not sure how, or if, they get dispersed. In general the oxalates in all
arisaema parts tend to keep animals away from eating them. I often see the
red berries lying in the garden uneaten for quite a bit of time, and I think
that the berry eventually just rots away and the seed germinates after
spending the winter outdoors.

However, there is no question that the berry contains a substance that
inhibits germination until it is removed. That's why, after removal from the
berry, soaking the seeds in water for a few days, or easier, soaking them for
a few hours in a detergent solution (I use "Dawn"), allows for almost
immediate germination of even freshly collected seed.

Jim McClements