Sexual Versus Vegetative Reproduction in Banksia elegans

Banksia elegans produces few fruits, and these only release their seeds in response to fire, depending on the temperatures reached by the follicles and subsequent number of wet-dry cycles. While 50% of intact seeds germinate in the laboratory, no seedlings were observed in the field. Despite the death of some old plants after a fire in a 15-yr-old stand, population size increased by more than 300% over the following 3 yr, entirely due to suckering from the parent lateral roots. Flowering of parent plants recommenced 3 yr after the fire, with most of the new suckers remaining juvenile longer. The pattern of ramet recruitment reflects that of genet recruitment by obligately sexually reproducing species in the region.