Carex secalina (Cyperaceae), a species critically endangered in Europe: from propagule germination to propagule production

Abstract

The size and reproduction ability of the three field populations of Carex secalina Willd. ex Wahlenb. have been assessed. In the parallel garden study selected traits from the life history of the species have been studied, such as age at first reproduction, fertility, the size of seeds, their germination ability and size of seedlings. The populations of C. secalina discovered in Poland in 2000 are characterised by small abundance and small area. All individuals from the three populations in the garden produced generative shoots in the third year of life. Statistically significant differences between the populations were found in the production of shoots with unisexual spikes and bisexual ones, the latter had not been reported in the hitherto literature on the species. The seeds started germinating after a 6-months rest. The first seedlings were observed in the first decade of May. The largest seedlings were noted in the population producing the smallest seeds. The results contribute to explaining the renewal of the populations of this species in the field.