Native Forbs Produce High Quality Seeds on Chicago Green Roofs

Abstract

Although a paucity of bees on Chicago green roofs suggests some plants may experience reduced pollination and thus poor seed production, a previous investigation revealed high seed set in green roof plants. However, high quantity of seeds does not always imply high quality. In this study, we compared seed germination between green roof and ground-level locations. We hypothesized that forb seeds from green roofs would have lower germination due to differences in maternal provisioning and environmental stressors. We found that green roof seeds did not have lower germination; this supports the continued use of native forbs on green roofs.