Shoot ontogeny in Arctostaphylos uva-ursi (bearberry): the annual cycle of apical activity

Abstract

Phenological investigation of shoot ontogeny in the prostrate shrub Arctostaphylos uva-ursi (L.) Spreng. (bearberry) at two sites in Saskatchewan, Canada, revealed that most growth occurred from May to July. Vegetative bud swell and leaf primordium initiation began around the 1st of May. Following bud burst in late May, elongation of most shoots continued for 3 to 5 weeks. Most bearberry shoots were not completely preformed; that is, several neoformed foliage leaves were initiated during current-year shoot extension in addition to the leaves that had been preformed during the previous season and had overwintered in the bud. In many shoots, a terminal inflorescence was initiated in the latter part of May of the year prior to anthesis. During conversion to the flowering state, the terminal apex initiated seven to nine floral bracts, each subtending a bud. In vegetative terminal shoots, bud-scale initiation also began in mid-May to late May and new terminal buds were first evident in early to mid-June. Following the initiation of bud scales and transitional leaves, the production of preformed foliage-leaf primordia continued until about August 1. Protruding lateral buds were evident histologically in the axils of preformed leaves during the initial stages of bud swell. On long, dominant shoots numerous neoformed leaves were initiated and shoot extension was often prolonged well into August. Second-flush terminal and lateral shoots, which resulted from the expansion of neoformed leaves and internodes, were also observed. The occurrence of neoformed growth in a large proportion of shoots suggests an exploitive, opportunistic growth strategy in this species.