Abstract
Seed production and the influence of light and temperature on germination were determined for eight cultivars and the wild type form of Mexican petunia (Ruellia tweediana Griseb). The wild type form of R. tweediana has been ranked by the Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council as a Category I invasive plant, meaning it has invaded and is disrupting native plant communities in Florida. The cultivar ‘Purple Showers’ did not set any seed. Peak flowering and seed production for other cultivars generally occurred in August with ‘Morado Chi’, ‘Chi Chi’, and the wild type plants producing approximately three times the amount of seed produced by ‘Katie Pink’, ‘Katie Purple’, ‘Katie White’, and ‘Snow White’. For seed germination, significant cultivar x light interactions occurred for each temperature treatment. Some germination was observed at each temperature except for ‘Katie Purple’, ‘Katie Variegated’, and ‘Katie White’ at 33C (91.4F) without light. Regardless of cultivar or provision of light, 94-100% germination occurred at 30/20C (86/68F), with the exception of ‘Katie Purple’ (65%), ‘Katie Variegated’ (54%), and ‘Katie White’ (83%) without light. At 15, 24 or 33C (59, 75.2, and 91.4F), germination was generally greatest for ‘Chi Chi’ (with or without light) and ‘Morado Chi’ (with light). In parallel greenhouse studies, where seeds were germinated in pots containing a soilless medium, highest germination was achieved by ‘Chi Chi’, ‘Katie Pink’, ‘Katie Variegated’ and ‘Morado Chi’, while significantly lower germination was achieved by wild type plants (55%) by day 14. Storage studies demonstrated that germination of seed collected from the wild type and ‘Chi Chi’ plants began to decrease between 6 and 12 months when maintained at 24C (75.2F) but had equal (‘Chi Chi’) or higher (wild type) germination when maintained at 4C (39.2F) for 12 months.
Natural Area Weeds: Skunkvine (Paederia foetida)
