Sex Morph, Fruiting Habit, and Seed Viability of Acer palmatum

To examine the sex morph, heterodichogamy, fruiting characteristics and seed viabilities of Acer palmatum, sixty three planted trees were monitered in Wonju-si for two years in terms of their sex morph, flowering and fruiting habit. Most flowers of A. palmatum are pollinated by Apis mellifera, Helophilus virgatus, a few (3.57%) are pollinated by wind. Twenty four trees (42.9%) in 2010, and twenty trees (31.7%) in 2011 were proved protandrous (PA: pollen is shed before stigmas are receptive), thirty two (50.8%) in 2010, thirty trees (47.6%) in 2011 were proved protogynous (PG: stigmas are receptive before pollen is shed). This result means that Acer palmatum has heterodichogamous sexual system. Five trees (7.9%) have changed their sex morphs; 4 trees change the sex morp PA to PG, and one does the sex morph PG to PA. Rates of sound seeds and decayed seeds were significantly different between sex morphs. Rates of sound seeds were 51.6% (2010) and 64.0% (2011) in PA, but 30.4% (2010) and 40.4% (2011) in PG. and rates of decayed seeds did 40.0% (2010) and 31.2% (2011) in PA, but 65.6% (2010) and 56.8% (2011) in PG. The differences of decayed seeds' rates between sex morphs might be related with the timing of insect pests' outbreak.