MODELS OF CLONAL GROWTH IN SOLIDAGO-ALTISSIMA

Solidago altissima in 3 fields in the Finger Lakes region of New York shows considerable variation for branching angles, rhizome lengths and numbers of daughter rhizomes. There also was variation between fields for rhizome lengths. Because clonal growth is highly variable, deterministic models should not be used to descibe the spread of S. altissima clones. Instead, the process of clonal growth is consistent with stochastic simulation models and random-walk models: the critical assumption of these models, that branching angles and rhizome lengths are not correlated over time, appears to be satisfied by this clonal plant. -from Author