Phenology of Pilosocereus leucocephalus (Cactaceae, tribe Cereeae): a columnar cactus with asynchronous pulsed flowering

Abstract

Pilosocereus leucocephalus produces flowers in discrete pulses, suggesting this cactus might exhibit pulsed flowering—a rare flowering pattern among angiosperms. In this study, we (1) describe the phenology of P. leucocephalus, (2) explore the influence of temperature, rainfall, and plant size on the flowering pattern, and (3) assess the effect of flowering phenology on the reproductive success of this cactus. Flowering phenology was characterized using the coefficient of variation in addition to traditional descriptors of flowering phenology: flowering onset, flowering duration, number of pulses and flowers, as well as flowering synchrony. The association between temperature, rainfall, plant size, and reproductive success (fruit set) with phenological descriptors was assessed using mixed-effects models. The flowering phenology of P. leucocephalus was confirmed as pulsed but was unexpectedly asynchronous. This cactus flowers during the warmest part of the year. We found a significant relationship between temperature and flower production. Plant size has a strong effect on all the flowering phenology descriptors we studied, except flowering synchrony. Of the phenological descriptors evaluated, only flowering onset has a significant and positive relationship with fruit set. These results strongly suggest that flowering phenology in P. leucocephalus (1) is mainly controlled by temperature and plant size and (2) influences its reproductive success.