Certain aspects of the biology of Watsonia SPP

Waher, Ivo Gregor

Certain aspects of the biology of Watsonia SPP

Master Thesis

1974

Publisher

University of Cape Town

Department

Department of Biological Sciences

Faculty

Faculty of Science

Abstract

The flowering responses of two species of Watsonia (W. humilis and W. tabularis) were studied both in the field and in the laboratory. There was no conclusive evidence that heat treatments directly influenced the flowering response. Instead, it appears that flowering may result from a number of factors such as watering, clearing the soil surface of vegetation and transplantation. The effects of temperature on seed germination were also investigated. 15 - 18° are the optimum temperature conditions for germination although viability is not affected by incubation at temperatures up to 35° C. Carbohydrates in the form of mucilaginous polysaccharide are the major storage reserves of the corms. These polysaccharides as well as the ethanol soluble carbohydrates were determined at different stages in the life cycle of Watsonia spp. by means of gas-liquid and paper chromatography. There was little variation in the levels of cold water soluble polysaccharide at different stages in the vegetative development of the corms, but during seed pod formation the monomer components of these polysaccharides declined. The implications of these results are discussed in relation to the ecology of both W. tabularis and W. humilis.

Keywords

Botany

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