contained in glasshouses or polytunnels and any volunteers would be removed using the same methods. 3. Reproductive ability of carnation in the land use: 3a. What is the time to seeding in the Rating: 1 year ≤ Carnation is a perennial and plants under horticulture conditions are grown for 2-4 years before land uses? being replaced. Flowers appear within one year of planting, and theoretically seed production would occur within one year of planting. 3b. What is the annual seed production Rating: Low in all relevant land uses in the land use per square metre? Horticulture carnation is rarely grown from seed, because high heterozygosity reduces reliability of plants to produce offspring of the same phenotype. Any carnations grown as ornamentals in gardens are unlikely to set seed owing to a highly modified flower morphology that makes pollination by insects extremely difficult. 3c. Can carnation reproduce Under natural conditions, carnation cannot reproduce by vegetative propagation. vegetatively? 4. Long distance seed dispersal (more than 100m) by natural means in land uses 4a. Are viable plant parts dispersed by Rating: Unlikely in all relevant land uses flying animals (birds and bats)? There is no evidence that flying animals play a role in the dispersal of carnation seeds. 4b. Are viable plant parts dispersed by Rating: Unlikely in all relevant land uses wild land based animals? Carnation seeds do not possess adaptations for dispersal on the exterior (fur) of animals (e.g., hooks or spines). 4c. Are viable parts dispersed by Rating: Unlikely in all relevant land uses water? Dispersal of viable seed by water is theoretically possible, for example through flooding or irrigation run-off, but production of seed to disperse is unlikely. 4d. Are viable parts dispersed by Rating: Unlikely in all relevant land uses wind? Wild carnation seed spread is facilitated by wind moving the seed head to release the seeds. 5. Long distance seed dispersal (more than 100m) by human means in land uses: 5a. How likely is deliberate spread via Rating: Occasional in all relevant land uses people? Carnation seed is available for purchase to grow plants as ornamentals. 5b. How likely is accidental spread via Rating: Unlikely in all relevant land uses Carnation seed is unlikely to be spread. Seeds would be grown deliberately by people, machinery and vehicles? accidentally people who would like the plants in their gardens, and likelihood of accidental spread is low.
contained in glasshouses or polytunnels and any volunteers would be removed using the same methods. 3. Reproductive ability of carnation in the land use: 3a. What is the time to seeding in the land uses? Rating: ≤ 1 year Carnation is a perennial and plants under horticulture conditions are grown for 2-4 years before being replaced. Flowers appear within one year of planting, and theoretically seed production would occur within one year of planting. 3b. What is the annual seed production in the land use per square metre? Rating: Low in all relevant land uses Horticulture carnation is rarely grown from seed, because high heterozygosity reduces reliability of plants to produce offspring of the same phenotype. Any carnations grown as ornamentals in gardens are unlikely to set seed owing to a highly modified flower morphology that makes pollination by insects extremely difficult. 3c. Can carnation reproduce vegetatively? Under natural conditions, carnation cannot reproduce by vegetative propagation. 4. Long distance seed dispersal (more than 100m) by natural means in land uses 4a. Are viable plant parts dispersed by flying animals (birds and bats)? Rating: Unlikely in all relevant land uses There is no evidence that flying animals play a role in the dispersal of carnation seeds. 4b. Are viable plant parts dispersed by wild land based animals? Rating: Unlikely in all relevant land uses Carnation seeds do not possess adaptations for dispersal on the exterior (fur) of animals (e.g., hooks or spines). 4c. Are viable parts dispersed by water? Rating: Unlikely in all relevant land uses Dispersal of viable seed by water is theoretically possible, for example through flooding or irrigation run-off, but production of seed to disperse is unlikely. 4d. Are viable parts dispersed by wind? Rating: Unlikely in all relevant land uses Wild carnation seed spread is facilitated by wind moving the seed head to release the seeds. 5. Long distance seed dispersal (more than 100m) by human means in land uses: 5a. How likely is deliberate spread via people? Rating: Occasional in all relevant land uses Carnation seed is available for purchase to grow plants as ornamentals. 5b. How likely is accidental spread via people, machinery and vehicles? Rating: Unlikely in all relevant land uses Carnation seed is unlikely to be accidentally spread. Seeds would be grown deliberately by people who would like the plants in their gardens, and likelihood of accidental spread is low.
biology-carnation2015.docx