Why do plants bloom at different times?
The following is an introduction for netizens about the blooming times of different plants and the related knowledge of what factors are related to the blooming times of plants and why plants bloom at different times, as detailed below:
Blooming habits are a relatively stable habit formed by plants in the course of long-term systematic development. From the internal factors, blooming habits are largely determined by the inflorescence structure, but the differences in the degree of differentiation of flower buds also affect blooming habits.
I. Division of blooming stages
The blooming of plants can be divided into four periods: the appearance of flower buds or inflorescences, the beginning of blooming (5% of the flowers have opened), the peak of blooming (50% of the flowers are open), and the end of blooming (only about 5% of the flowers are open).
II. Types of blooming order of flowers and leaves
According to the order of blooming and the expansion of new leaves in different plants, they can be divided into 3 types:
(1) Flowering before leaves
This type of plant has completed the differentiation of flower buds before spring germination, and the flower buds germinate and bloom soon after, flowering before leaves grow. Examples include silver willow, forsythia, forsythia, peach, plum, apricot, jujube, and紫荆 (wisteria). Some can form a tree full of flowers, such as magnolia and玉兰 (yulan).
(2) Flowers and leaves blooming simultaneously
This type of plant also completes the differentiation of flower buds before germination, and flowering and leaf expansion happen almost at the same time. Examples include Prunus triloba, peach, and some late-blooming varieties and types of Wisteria.
In addition, most tree species that can form mixed buds on short branches also belong to this type, such as apples and begonia. Although mixed buds sprout branches and leaves before flowering, most short branches grow for a short time and quickly show flowers, which bloom slightly later than the previous type.
(3) Flowering after leaves
Some plants of this type, such as grapes, persimmons, and jujubes, sprout long new shoots from mixed buds formed the previous year and bloom on the new shoots. Sprouting and flowering are later than the previous two types.
Most of the flower buds of this type of plant are formed and differentiated on the new shoots grown in the current year, usually blooming in summer and autumn.
This type of plant belongs to the latest blooming group, such as acacia, hibiscus, crape myrtle, Gardenia, campsis, pagoda tree, osmanthus, and pearl bush. Some can delay blooming until early winter, such as loquat, camellia, and tea trees.
III. Order of blooming
1. The sequence of blooming of different plants
The blooming time of plants is consistent with the germination time of flower buds. Therefore, different species of plants bloom at different times.
Plants that have grown in temperate and subtropical regions for a long time, except in special microclimates, have a certain order of blooming for various plants in the same region and the same year.
For example, trees in the Beijing area generally bloom in the following order every year: mountain peach, magnolia, apricot, peach, weeping willow, common lilac, Wisteria, peony, apple, Wisteria, acacia, Albizia julibrissin, pagoda tree, and others.
2. The blooming time of different varieties of the same plant
In the same area, different varieties of the same plant also bloom in a certain order. In Beijing, "Early White Peach" blooms in late March, and "Bright Peach" blooms in mid-to-late April.
3. The blooming sequence of monoecious plants with separate male and female flowers
There are flowers that open at the same time, as well as those where the female flowers open first or the male flowers open first. For long-term seedlings, such as walnuts, there is often a mixture of these types, including female flowers maturing first, male flowers maturing first, and both male and female flowers maturing at the same time.
4. The blooming sequence of different branches or inflorescences on the same plant
Generally, short flowering branches bloom first, followed by long flowering branches and axillary flower buds. The sunny side blooms before the shady side. The same inflorescence blooms at different times, with the top flower of an umbrella-shaped raceme in apples blooming first; while in pears with an umbrella-shaped inflorescence, the base of the marginal inflorescence blooms first; for catkins, the base blooms first.
This article shares the full content of the blooming times of different plants and the related knowledge of what factors are related to the blooming times of plants and why plants bloom at different times, hoping it is helpful to netizens!