Ludwigia stolonifera , insight into its phenotypic plasticity, habitat diversity and associated species

Abstract

THIRTY-TWO populations of L. stolonifera were monitored resulted in detection of 7 morphotypes in 5 different habitats. Wide spectum species included Phragmites australis, Eichhornia crassipes and Cyperus alopecuroides. Cosmopolitan, Paleotropical and Pantropical elements contributed about 56.7% of the total number of the associated species. Therophytes constituted 46.7% while hydrophytes and helophytes 26.7%, hemicryptophytes, chamaephytes, geophytes and epiphytes were moderately represented. The similarity values between each pair of the 7 morphotypes based on the 42 macro and micro morphological characters were carried out The fresh water morphotypes were correlated with the organic matter and turbidity, while the terrestrial morphotype was affected by carbonates and ammonia while the brackish and saline morphotypes were affected by electric conductivity, salinity, NaCl contents. L. stolonifera exhibits high degree of habitat diversity in the leaf shape and size; in the flower from typical bisexual 5-merous flowers with 10 stamens, to bisexual 6-merous flowers with 12 stamens; in size, position of bracteoles from basal to war base or near base and near or aboved; in the seed productivity/fruit from 60-80 seeds/fruit to 3545 seeds/fruit from basal to near base or above; in the abundance of vesicles from abundant (up to 10 pneumatophores/ cluster) to occasional vesicles (up to 3 pneumatophores/cluster); in the position of aperture from planaperturate to angulaperturate.