GERMINATION AND SEEDLING GROWTH OF AN ENDANGERED NATIVE BROOM, CHORDOSPARTIUM-MURITAI PURDIE,A.W. (FABACEAE), FOUND IN MARLBOROUGH, SOUTH ISLAND, NEW-ZEALAND

In the wild, adult Chordospartium muritai shrubs and trees up to 6 m t all are confined to a single population in the northern South Island. There are few juveniles and seedlings have only recently been recorded . Seed viability, germination requirements, fate of seeds in the soil seed bank, and seedling growth were investigated. Seeds required scari fication, after which a high proportion germinated over a wide range o f temperatures, but particularly between 20 degrees C and 24 degrees C . The few seeds that survived a year's burial were still viable, sugge sting the effects of soil scarification. Seedling growth was very slow and 65% of seedlings that survived the first 2 years reached a height of only 12 cm. Site factors including past grazing, competition from herbs, and lack of suitable substrates, are considered largely respons ible for the failure of C. muritai regeneration. The management implic ations of the results are discussed.