Factors Affecting Intraplant Variation in Flowering and Fruiting in the Gynodioecious Species Hebe Subalpina

To determine the degree of variation in flowering and fruiting among shoots within naturally growing plants of the gynodioecious shrub Hebe subalpina, flower and fruit production were measured on both sexual morphs. Flower number varied within plants on both morphs, but while fruit production was just as variable as flower number within female plants, fruit production was more variable than flower number within the'male' (or perfect-flowered) morph, which produced fewer fruits on average. A variety of shoot characteristics was also measured, to determine whether the variation in flowering and fruiting was related to differences among shoots in their resource status and/or hierarchy within the plant (...)