SEED ECOLOGY OF HYPERICUM-GRAMINEUM, AN AUSTRALIAN FORB

Aspects of the seed ecology of Hypericum gramineum Forster, a perennia l forb that is native to Australia, were examined in several germinati on and seed predation experiments. Fresh seeds were innately dormant. Highest germination of non-dormant seeds occurred in the light at a te mperature regime of approximately 35/25 degrees C. The results of fiel d experiments indicated that there was no strongly seasonal effect on germination. Predators, such as ants, removed <20% seeds, thereby sugg esting that post-dispersal seed predation is relatively unimportant in the dynamics of H. gramineum populations. Seeds that escape predation and that fail to germinate after dispersal may be incorporated into a persistent soil seed bank.