Developmental Potential of Axillary Buds of Water Hyacinth, Eichhornia crassipes Solms. (Pontederiaceae)

Buds axillary to foliage leaves of water hyacinth can elongate either as vegetative stolons or as renewal shoots produced in association with the terminal inflorescence. Stolons differ from renewal shoots in position within the shoot system, morphology, and function. Renewal shoot buds always expand, whereas stolon buds may or may not. A stolon bud develops in conjunction with the subtending leaf; as that leaf matures, the stolon bud reaches a critical period in development. At this point, the bud either continues to expand, producing a stolon, or it stops growth and matures. Maturation is not irreversible, but the probability of a bud expanding decreases as bud age increases. In the field, buds on plants at the water hyacinth mat edge frequently produce stolons, whereas buds on plants inside the mat rarely do so. Leaf morphology also varies between plants in these two regions of the mat. The particular association of leaf and branch type found in the field, however, can be reversed experimentally, indicating that although leaf and bud development are coordinated, the particular course of each is independent.