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Inhibition of seedling growth by wild myrtle ( Myrtus communis L.)
Author(s) -
KHOSHKHUI M.,
BASSIRI A.
Publication year - 1979
Publication title -
weed research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.693
H-Index - 74
eISSN - 1365-3180
pISSN - 0043-1737
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-3180.1979.tb01516.x
Subject(s) - germination , biology , seedling , myrtus communis , botany , ornamental plant , evergreen , lolium perenne , perennial plant , hedera helix , horticulture , essential oil
Summary: Plants of wild myrtle ( Myrtus communis L.) collected at full bloom contained substances inhibitory to the germination and seedling growth of perennial ryegrass. ( Lolium perenne L. cv Hollandi) Tissue suspensions had a greater inhibitory activity than water extracts of the plant tissue. Boiling the plant material also increased the inhibitory activity of suspensions and extracts. Flower, and buds, fruit covers and leaves had the greatest inhibitory effect/unit weight ot tissue but inhibitory activity was also present in stems and roots at lower concentrations. The effect of myrtle leaf suspensions on germination of seed of thirteen common garden flowers was also examined: Germination of Petunia. Antirrhinum, Liaum. Cheiranthus and Lathyrus was inhibited completely or substantially depressed. Germination of Zinnia, Tagrtes. Verbena and Dianthus was not much affected, while that of Brllis. Gaillardia . and Viola was affected to an intermediate extent. These results suggest that the possible use of wild myrtle as an evergreen hedge plant needs to be examined further because of possible interference with the growth of nearby lawns and flowers.