In the monocarpic perennial Cynoglossum officinale L. the probability of flowering is related to the size of the plant. In previous work it was observed that this relation varies between years. We hypothesized that variable conditions during the winter, the period of vernalization, explain this variation.

We collected plants from the field in autumn and placed these under different simulated winter conditions in a climate room. In contrast to our hypothesis, the probability of initiating flowering at a given size was not affected by: (a) the temperature during the cold period, (b) the duration of the cold period, or (c) the application of a plant hormone (GA3) or an inhibitor of gibberellin synthesis (paclobutazol) during the cold period. Winter cold is not necessary for floral initiation, and is only required for elongation of the inflorescence. It is unlikely that winter temperature affects the fraction of plants flowering.

Subsequent morphological investigation of flower development in material collected in the field showed that large plants had primordial inflorescences well before vernalization, sometimes as early as August. In plants grown from seeds under constant conditions in a climate room, the probability of initiating the inflorescence differed for plants grown at various temperatures (34·1% at 15°C, 100% at 20°C, and 95% at 25°C). Our results suggest that environmental conditions in August and September, up to 10 months before actual flowering, could affect the fraction of flowering plants.