由母穗取不同節位扦插繁殖空心菜,高節位(11-12節)插穗繁殖植株形態較趨成熟,其節間較長,容易跑藤,平均開花節位低(第6節),開花數多(7.7朵);低節位(1-2節)插穗繁殖植株,形態較爲幼年,萌生枝梢數較多,節間較短,平均開花節位較高(8.6節),花數較少(4.2朵),插穗節位高低顯現幼年性(juvenility)的位置優勢(topophysis),貼地面採收後,插穗節位顯現之位置效應消失,且萌生的枝梢有回復幼年性之現象。空心菜開花及跑藤,受插穗節位高低與株齡影響。空心菜實生苗在11-14節才能開花,由株齡將近一年的老株取穗扦插,平均6-8節有花産生,少數於第一節位即能開花。不論在冬天短日或夏天長日下,跑藤現象都會隨著株齡增長而發生,與植株成熟有關,在此試驗中,跑藤現象與開花數爲極顯著正相關(0.656(上標 ***)),而與始花節位呈顯著負相關(-0.391(上標 ***))。
Water spinach was propagated from different portions of shoots by cutting. Plants grew from higher portion of shoot had mature morphology. They have longer internodes, lower initiate-flowering node, more flower and their vine sprawled much easier. On the contrary, juvenile cuttings form lower portions of shoots had shorter internodes, higher initiate-flowering node, less flowers and more sprouts. Cuttings from different portions of shoots showed juvenile which was depends on topophysis. Sprouts re-grew from harvested cuttings near ground level did not show topophysis and appeared to be re-juvenilized. Besides topophysis, water spinach was getting mature with age. Seedlings flowered at the 11-14th node above ground. Few cuttings even flowered at the first node. Under whether short-daylength winter or long-daylength summer, water spinach vines sprawled much easier as incensed in aging. The correlation coefficient between sprawling vine and flower number was positive significant (0.656(superscript ***)), but the correlation coefficient between sprawling vine and initiate-flowering node was negative significant (-0.391(superscript ***)) in this study. Therefore, the character of sprawling vine was related to the maturity of plant.