Pseudovivipary in the tuberous Eriocaulon (Eriocaulaceae)

Abstract

Pseudovivipary is a strategy adopted by the plants to survive in extreme environmental condition through asexual reproduction, and enabling seedlings to establish more rapidly. Eriocaulon tuberiferum is an endemic, tuberous and Vulnerable species found on the high-altitude lateritic plateaus of Northern Western Ghats, India. This communication documents the first-ever report of tuberous Eriocaulon species showcasing both tubers and pseudovivipary simultaneously. The plants had tubers, fully-developed, and mature inflorescence, and mature infructescence containing seeds at different stages of germination.  This paper discusses the occurrence of new an example of vivipary from tuberous Eriocaulon species and explores the adaptive significance of vivipary in the Eriocaulaceae.