Seed Dimorphism in Salicornia europaea L.

Abstract

The highly salt-tolerant halophyte S. europaea produced dimorphic seeds. The large median flowers of a nodal segment had a single large seed with a mean air-dry weight of 0.78 .+-. 0.10 mg and a mean length of 1.8 .+-. 0.10 mm; lateral flowers were smaller and contained a single seed with a mean air dry weight of 0.24 .+-. 0.04 mg and a mean length of 1.1 .+-. 0.10 mm. The large seeds were more salt tolerant than the small and also yielded higher germination percentages at all tested salinities. Of the ungerminated large seeds originally immersed in 5 and 10% NaCl, 86% germinated after immersion in distilled water for 42 days; germination inhibition due to salt stress was probably transitory. Seeds in the laboratory germinated in 40-60 days, probably reflecting the sporadic germination pattern in the field.