Studies on the population biology of some clonal plants in a coastal reclaimed land

Clonal growth and rhizome architecture of calmagrostis epigeios, were studied in a 15-year old coastal reclamed land. As c. epigeios patch grew from center to margin radially over time, concentric annuli were added. the radial increases of the mature patch were 80~130cm/yr. the patch ages of c. epigeios estimated by relationships between the diameter and is radial increament, were 1~6year old. There were the marked variations of density, phytomass, shoot height and inflorecence frequency with increasing age of rhizome system within the patch. the maximum performance occurred at 2-year-old concentric annuli of the patch. The growth phasic continuum with aging was divided into 5 grwth phases ; pioneer, building, matyre, senile and degenerate. The rhizome aging had a more significant effect on the inflorescence frequency than on the other attributes. new rhizomes tended to diverge from the direction of the parent ramet by sympodial growth. in a 1-year-old patch, average length of rhizome segment was 7cm, average number of internode was 6, and the tillering frequency was 27%. The tillering in the early stage resultd in the increase of shoot density and the producation of multibranching rhizome. as the result of that, circular patchwas formed in a year. The branching structure based on such facts was represented graphically in branching degree of 60 and 100. therefore, c. epigeios with clonal growth may establish and grow vigorously earlier than other glycophytes in high salt conditions such as the coastal reclaimed land.