Altitudinal variation in Hawaiian Metrosideros
- Author:
-
Corn, Carolyn A., Hiesey, William M.
- Title:
- Altitudinal variation in Hawaiian Metrosideros
- Periodical:
- American Journal of Botany
- Year:
- 1973
- Volume:
- 60
- Pages:
- 991-1002
- Subject:
-
Ohia-lehua
Metrosideros polymorpha
- Summary:
- The most prevalent native tree in the Hawaiian islands is the Metrosideros polymorpha complex, a polymorphic taxon with ill-defined taxonomic boundaries and variable in every discernable character. While it is believed that the seeds of the Metrosideros were probably carried to the island by wind, the possibility that these seeds arrived via flotation by sea cannot be discounted. Since the extreme polymorphism of the Hawaiian Metrosideros has long attracted the interest of biologists, and since the classification of that many forms of this plant species has been in the state of confusion, this study is primarily concerned with the comparative growth responses and morphological characteristics of population samples. The seeds were collected from diverse altitudinal sites on the islands of Hawaii and Maui were grown under uniform greenhouse conditions at Honolulu and showed evidence of ecotypic differentiation along altitudinal gradients. While the seedlings from these islands were separated by 50 miles of ocean, they showed parallelism in their altitudinal differentiation with regard to plant height and leaf size. There was also a strong overlapping variation from site to site.
- Label:
- Botany - Ohia
- URL:
- http://cletus.uhh.hawaii.edu:2075/stable/2441513
- Collection:
- Periodicals