Calypso bulbosa

Abstract: Aseptic germination of 27 North European and 2 North American orchids was tested on ZAK medium, which contains coconut liquid and sucrose, CHANG medium, based on fish protein hydrolysate, and two mineral media: FAST's medium for Cypripedium and Burgeffs Eg 1. The two latter media gave good germination and growth, Egl proving better for tuberous species. Of the 29 taxa tested, 25 germinated, the four nongerminating species belonging to the rhizomatous genera Cephalanthera and Epipactis. Immature seeds, when used, gave better germination than mature dried seeds. The time needed for germination to start, 2—10 weeks, was clearly species specific. Cold treatment was not required even in the case of such boreal or alpine species as Calypso bulbosa, Cypripedium passerinum and Chamorchis alpina. The effect of disinfection and the significance of the stage of maturation of the seed are discussed. The extremely juvenile condition of the embryo at seed capsule dehiscence and the heterotrophic stage preceding emergence above the ground may partly explain why the germination behaviour of a species does not change with the latitude or environmental conditions.

Abstract: Among- and within-population variation at neutral loci is governed by an interaction between stochastic processes and gene flow. A previous study of pollen dispersal in which the transfer of individually marked pollinia was monitored, indicated not only that populations of the nonrewarding, bumblebee-pollinated orchid Calypso bulbosa are connected by substantial levels of gene flow, but also that seed production may be the result of self-fertilization to a considerable extent. We examined the genetic structure of 21 C. bulbosa populations in northern Sweden by F-statistics analyses of variation at three polymorphic allozyme loci. Four populations each consisted of two or three distinct patches, which also allowed us to evaluate among-patch differentiation. The inbreeding coefficient over all loci within populations was high (FIS=0.283). F-statistics indicated that the level of genetic differentiation among patches within populations varied among populations. FST among patches within populations ranged between −0.021 and 0.119 and was significantly different from zero in two of the populations. There was low to moderate genetic differentiation among populations (FST=0.072). A Mantel test indicated a positive correlation between geographical and genetic distances among populations, but this correlation was dependent on the difference in allele frequencies between the southernmost population sampled and all other populations. Self-fertilization and substructuring within sampling units (within patches and populations) may have contributed to the high inbreeding coefficients observed in many C. bulbosa populations. Long-distance seed and pollen dispersal may account for the low to moderate genetic differentiation among populations.

Abstract: A new species of Thanatephorus is described and illustrated based on fertile cultures derived from the mycorrhizal roots of two apparently healthy plants of Calypso bulbosa collected near Obed Summit, Alta. Thanatephorus pennatus sp.nov. is distinguished from other species of Thanatephorus by its globose basidiospores and its distinctive pattern of growth in culture. The role of T. pennatus as a mycorrhizal fungus is unknown.