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Periodicity in Plumeria

Abstract

MURASHIGE1 has reported experiments in Hawaii which show that Plumeria acuminata, a plant native to tropical America, exhibits a deciduous habit which is controlled by day length. Day length in Hawaii varies from about 11 h 45 min in January to about 14 h 15 min in June. In Nigeria it is noticeable that the tree also exhibits deciduousness where the day length varies (at Ibadan, 7° 26′ N.) from 11 h 40 min in January to 12 h 35 min in June, about half the variation found in Hawaii (Fig. 1). The rainfall ceases at Ibadan about mid-November, however, and the dry season continues until about mid-March. Isolated storms may occur within these limits. In the experiments described here, rain fell only on the following dates: December 7 (0.3 in.), February 27 (0.57 in.) and March 6 (0.07 in.). In the last 10 days of March, however, the rainfall totalled 2.47 in. The dry season therefore coincides with the period of leaflessness in Plumeria. A number of Nigerian indigenous plants also exhibit periodicity in their leaflessness2,3.

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References

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LAWTON, J., AKPAN, E. Periodicity in Plumeria. Nature 218, 384–386 (1968). https://doi.org/10.1038/218384b0

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