Herb-chronology as a tool for determining the age of perennial forbs in tropical climates

Abstract

Age in wild plant populations is one of the most elusive developmental parameters in plant biology. Several approaches take advantage of a plant’s morphological traits to determine developmental stages or plant age. Annual growth rings forming in woody tissues of perennial plants are one of the traits that have been widely used to determine the age of trees (dendrochronology) and, more recently, herbaceous perennials (herb-chronology). In temperate, alpine, and arctic climates, it has been reported that seasonal variations in climate lead to the formation of annual growth rings in herbaceous perennial forbs; however, to date, no similar studies have been carried out on plants from tropical regions. We have investigated the applicability of herb-chronology on the tropical plant Pentalinon andrieuxii (Müll. Arg.) B.F. Hansen & Wunderlin, a native vine of the Yucatan peninsula. Our results show that herb-chronology is a potentially useful tool in determining the age of plants growing in tropical climates.