Components of seed mass and their relationships to seedling size in Calamovilfa longifolia

Greenhouse studies were conducted to determine the relative contribution of endosperm and embryo masses to seed mass and seedling size in Calamovilfa longifolia. Seed mass in a sample varied from 0.71 to 3.17 mg per seed, and according to fitted functions, from approximately 0.26 to 2.48 mg per endosperm and from 0.15 to 0.50 mg per embryo. Both the embryo and endosperm masses were significantly correlated with mass, length, width, and area (length × width) of seeds. Seedling (2-weeks old) height, leaf area, and dry weights of leaves, stems, and roots were also highly positively correlated with seed mass. Because endosperm mass contributed much more to the variation in seed mass and showed stronger correlation with seed mass than embryo mass, seedling size may depend mainly on the amount of seed reserves in the endosperm rather than the embryo.