ABSTRACT
Potted seedlings of red maple (Acer rubrum L.), redbay (Persea borbonia (L.) Spreng.), and Chinese tallow (Sapium sebiferum (L.) Roxb.) were subjected to flooding with saltwater for 0 to 5 days. Red maple and redbay seedlings were very susceptible to saltwater flooding and were unable to tolerate more than 1 day of flooding. Chinese tallow seedlings, on the other hand, were able to tolerate saltwater well (60% survival after 5 days of flooding). Height growth of red maple and redbay seedlings was low (0.6 and 3.4 cm, respectively) during the eight week study even for those seedlings not exposed to saltwater. Unflooded Chinese tallow seedlings, however, grew 20.7 cm during the eight week observation period. Diameter growth of flooded seedlings along with biomass of shoot, leaf, and root components in all three species was significantly reduced by saltwater flooding. Biomass partitioning of surviving seedlings was not appreciably affected by saltwater flooding. Chinese tallow seems to be able to tolerate salinity fairly well and may become a dominant species of southern coastal forests.