Re: Wild CA Grape Seeds

In a message dated 12/21/1999 11:41:32 PM Central Standard Time, 
mtalt@clark.net writes:

<< 
 I was wondering if these were seeds designed to go through a bird gut
 before germinating?  Interesting you say the seedlings are weak  >>

There are so many hybrids when it comes to grapes, both man made so to speak 
and natural ones, that I am sure this has effected many diffrent strains of 
plants making some week growers.

We have grapes in our woods also and they do not seem to be prolific 
multipliers, Maybe you are just lucky with your paticulre grape species Marge 
-? 

Grapes are eaten by birds but they are not a first choice, they have to be 
hungry to eat the species grapes and fruit may persist on vines all winter 
(even into the next late spring) before birds eat them.

The advantage to this is that when all the other food is eaten, they at least 
have something to tide them over until spring in a hard year.

I cannot say for sure-but as grapes pass threw the digestive system of birds, 
not all the fruit is removed from the seeds.


Grapes are good examples of the multifaceted requirements for seed 
germination.
Since these plants grow in woods or in thickets, the seedling do not have a 
great chance of surviving unless there is an object for them to climb so that 
they can find enough light.  So seeds might germinate over a number of 
different years in the "hope" of finding a clearing in the canopy or an 
object to climb.

If all the seeds germinated at the same time the chances of success are much 
less than if germination is spread out over time.

Paul

Paul

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