Abstract
Abstract Seed production and role in succession of Hakea sericea are examined in relation to its status as a weed in Abel Tasman National Park and the Aorere Valley, and compared with the results of a previous study of H. salicifolia. Vegetation composition was assessed within plots, and 42 bushes were felled and their follicles counted and classified according to maturity. Bushes begin to produce follicles when they are 1 m tall. When taller than 2 m they have 300–400 closed follicles, amounting to 260 per m2 of ground surface. This is about half the load borne by H. salicifolia stands. Both species release abundant seeds during their lives but H. salicifolia has a potentially longer establishment period after a fire. H. sericea possibly tolerates poorer soils and greater exposure than H. salicifolia, but their present distribution patterns may also reflect differences in historical use and dissemination. H. sericea does not produce annual growth rings, and the proportion of closed, open, and green folli...
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