Reproductive biology of Clintonia udensis

To clarify the life history of Clintonia udensis, we investigated its reproductive systems and spatio-temporal population structure. Pollination experiments and the observation of floral visitors revealed that C. udensis was compatible with both self-and outcross-pollen, and it potentially produces seeds by insect-mediated outcrossing in natural conditions. In addition, propagation by clonal reproduction from rhizomes was evident. In this study, it was clarified that C. udensis potentially propagates by sexual and asexual reproduction and maintains its population through a stable frequency of flowering. The differences in the dependence on each reproduction mode could be one of the contributing factors for creating a variety of population sizes and distribution patterns of ramets in populations.