What species takes the longest to flower from seed?

Travis O enoster@hotmail.com
Sun, 22 May 2016 12:32:29 PDT
For the sake of conversation...

I once read of some SA amaryllid (Boophone, maybe?) that took around 15 years to flower from seed. I wonder, what is the longest time it has taken a bulb to flower from seed?

I'd also be curious what the evolutionary advantages of such a long wait before flowering are? I understand how for an annual plant, reproduction is of higher priority than survival. With the long lived bulbs (and trees and shrubs, I guess) mere survival trumps reproduction. What are the driving factors, environment? Availability/type of pollinators?

Travis Owen
Rogue River, OR

http://www.amateuranthecologist.com/
http://www.oldsolbees.com/
http://www.pacificbulbsociety.org/




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