Abstract

In south Florida nurseries, trees are often grown in marl soil, which is heavy, clay-like, calcareous soil that is slow to drain and prone to periodic flooding during the rainy season. Green buttonwood, mahogany, pond apple and Surinam cherry are grown in this soil. We tested effects of flooding on leaf gas exchange and growth of these four species to determine their flood tolerances in marl soil. Green buttonwood, mahogany, and Surinam cherry each had consistently lower leaf gas exchange and plant growth in flooded than in non-flooded marl soil, which suggests low tolerance to flooding. In contrast, flooding had little or no effect on leaf gas exchange and growth of pond apple, indicating that this species was tolerant of flooding in marl soil. Green buttonwood and pond apple had larger stem diameters and more hypertrophic stem lenticels when flooded than when not flooded. Flooded green buttonwood also developed adventitious roots. Pond apple appears to be a good choice for planting in low-lying areas in marl soil typical of outdoor nurseries in south Florida. In contrast, care should be taken to avoid planting green buttonwood, mahogany, and Surinam cherry in marl soil in flood-prone areas.