Clonal behavior and synchronous flowering in Aralia hispida Vent.

Abstract

Excavations revealed that Aralia hispida reproduces extensively via undergound rhizomes. Observations of bees (Bombus spp.) pollinating adjacent ramets prompted an investigation of the flowering mechanisms of these plants. Umbels initially displayed a male, followed by a female flowering phase. Flowering among ramets was synchronized; thus the entire genet displayed either male or female flowers but not both. This alternation of gender expression is thought to encourage the immigration of rare genotypes.