Survivorship of the Grass Enneapogon purpurascens in Victoria River District, North-West Australia.

Abstract

The survival and growth of four cohorts of Enneapogon purpurascens were recorded at one site over a 3.5 year period. The plants were virtually ungrazed by cattle. Only 11% of plants survived to the second or later rainy seasons. Of all plants tagged, 72% failed to flower. Eighty-four per cent of reproductive plants flowered once only; 90% of these behaved as annuals and only one individual had a strictly biennial life-history. The five per cent of plants which flowered in more than two seasons became relatively large. E. purpurascens appears to respond to local conditions as a facultative perennial.