Morphological variability of seeds and fruits of Ruscus hypoglossum in Croatia

The paper reports a morphological study of fruits and seeds of Ruscus hypoglossum L., a species interesting as an ornamental plant. Initially, the length, width and weight of fruits as well as seeds were measured in 14 natural populations growing in Croatia. The length/width ratios of fruits and seeds were calculated, as well as the fruit/seed ratios of length, width and weight. Interannual differences in the analyzed traits over three years were compared in two populations. The most promising populations for further selection for ornamental use were the Bilogora population with the largest fruits (length 12.30 mm, width 11.56 mm, weight 0.75 g) and the Strahinščica population with the roundest fruits (length/width 1.04). The average number of seeds per fruit for the populations was 1.40. Variability between the three years was minor for fruit traits but significant for seed traits.