Morfology and development of flowering-fruiting of tembesu (Fragraea fragrans)

Abstract

Rustam E, Pramono AA. 2018. Morfology and development of flowering-fruiting of tembesu (Fragraea fragrans). Pros Sem Nas Masy Biodiv Indon 4: 13-19. Tembesu (Fragraea fragrans Roxb.) which has wide natural distribution in Indonesia is a timber plant with high cultural and economic value. The development of this plant requires the availability of qualified seeds. An understanding of the developmental stages of fruits and flowers is needed to predict the best harvesting time of seed, when seeds are at the maximum physiological quality. The purpose of this research was to know the structure, morphology and development phase of flowers and fruit of tembesu. Observations on the morphology, flowering, and fruiting phases were conducted in Bogor (West Java) and South Sumatra. The stages of development of the flowers were divided into four stages: i) generative buds, ii) green buds, iii) white buds, iv) blooming flowers, and v) wilting flowers. The period of time from generative shoots to wilting flowers took 1 month. Based on the change of fruit size and color, fruit development can be grouped into 3 stages: stage I (post-fertilization phase), stage II (fruit development), and stage III (fruit ripening). When the fruit is red, the seed reaches a physiologically mature phase. When fruits were mature, within the fruit there were viable seeds, which were brown or blackish brown, and dead seeds which were white and small in size. The fruit development process took approximately 18-19 weeks. Based on the results of this study, the best harvest time can begin to be predicted when the trees produce flower buds.