Abstract: Dysosma veitchii most commonly occurs in a randomly, or patchy pattern in ever-green broad-leaved forests of shaded mountain slopes. This study investigated the reproductive ecology of three populations of this species under natural conditions. Reproduction in D. veitchii is restricted to a sexual strategy and sexual maturity is reached about 5-6 years after germination. Flower initiation occurs in the early August of the year prior to blossoming. By November, when vegetative growth ends, the mature morphology of the flower has formed: flowers pass winter and early spring in a dormant bud stage. While D. veitchii is autogamous, most plants do not produce fruit due to improper pollination and nutrition competition. Both gravity and ants act as short distance dispersal agents, while birds and rodents are long distance dispersal agents. In its natural environment, D. veitchii cannot propagate vegetatively, though attempts at vegetative propagation under artificial condition from root sections have been successful.

Key words: Dysosma veitchii, Reproductive ecology, Evolution