Seed Ecology of Hypericum gramineum, an Australian Forb

Abstract

Aspects of the seed ecology of Hypericum gramineum Forster, a perennial forb that is native to Australia, were examined in several germination and seed predation experiments. Fresh seeds were innately dormant. Highest germination of non-dormant seeds occurred in the light at a temperature regime of approximately 35/25˚C. The results of field experiments indicated that there was no strongly seasonal effect on germination. Predators, such as ants, removed < 20% seeds, thereby suggesting that post-dispersal seed predation is relatively unimportant in the dynamics of H. gramineum populations. Seeds that escape predation and that fail to germinate after dispersal may be incorporated into a persistent soil seed bank.