An explosion of perfume: Mass flowering and sphingophily in the Caatinga dry region in Brazil

Abstract

Abstract'Big Bang' flowering is common among geophyte plants and is a strategy particularly important in arid areas.Griffiniais a genus whose species have very ephemeral flowering. Not surprisingly, there is so far no information on the reproductive biology and pollination ecology of anyGriffiniaspecies. Here, we highlight an amazing phenomenon of massive flowering inGriffinia gardneriana, a species that blooms for only one or two nights and emits a remarkable odor plume in the Caatinga night. The flowering event of the species varied depending on the locality, but it was always associated with the rainy season. The high number of white tubular flowers produce a strong sweet perfume dominated by (E)‐nerolidol (42%), linalool (33%) and (E)‐β‐ocimene (15%).Agrius cingulata(Sphingidae) was the only pollinator recorded. BecauseG. gardnerianaset only a few fruits by self‐pollination, in contrast to a high number of fruits under natural conditions, this hawkmoth pollination system seems to be very efficient.