Variation in pseudocarp-and seed-size and seed packaging cost in chimonanthus praecox ( l . ) link . ( family calycanthaceae ) from chengdu , sichuan province , china

Quantitative phenotypic traits of pseudocarps and seeds of Chimonanthus praecox (L.) Link. are described from a road-side tree in Chengdu, Sichuan province of China. The parameters included 1. Air dried pseudocarp weight (PW), 2. Seed Yield per pseudocarp (SYP), 3. Number of seeds per pseudocarp (NSP, the brood size), 4. weight of Empty pseudocarp (WEP), 5. Mean single seed weight (MSSW) in each of 131pseudocarps, 6. Seed weight variation and distribution in a composite sample of 468 seeds, 7. Seed packaging cost per seed (SPC1 = WEP / NSP and seed packaging cost per g seeds (SPC2 = WEP / SYP). The phenotypic traits of seeds and pseudocarps were rich in variation and exhibited great deal of co-linearity amongst them. The pseudocarp weight (PW) averaged to 1.4726 ± 0.047g and seed wt. averaged to 0.2455 ± 0.002688 g. The weights of pseudocarps and seeds were found to vary by 39.96 and 23.73%, respectively. Around 16% pseudocarps had weight ≤ 1.0g, and those in the size class of 1.01 to 2.0g were 65.7% in number. Seed packaging cost per seed (SPC1) was 0.1417 ± 0.00566g and on the basis of one g seeds (SPC2), 0.5933 ± 0.02826g. SPC1 and SPC2 varied by 47.75 and 54.52%, respectively. The results are compared and discussed on the basis of available literature.