Floral Types Research Articles

Flower functional trait responses to restoration time

AbstractQuestions(1) Do species richness, flower functional diversity and redundancy of tree and non‐tree species increase with restoration age; (2) are the flower traits of the reference forest similar to those found in restored sites; and (3) does species originality, in terms of unique combinations of different set of flower traits, differ among sites?LocationForests restored by planting a high diversity assemblage of tree species, within the Atlantic Rain Forest, Brazil.MethodsWe sampled all reproductive individuals (353 species) and classified them in terms of floral type, colour, size, generalization level and openness. As most trees were planted and non‐tree species (sub‐shrub, shrub, herbs, epiphytes, climbers and hemi‐parasitic plants) were mostly naturally established, we analysed them in separate analyses. We compared species richness, functional diversity, redundancy and originality among sites. Moreover, we identified optimal subsets of flower traits to describe vegetation succession trends.Results(1) Flower functional diversity of tree species could be achieved after two decades of restoration, but remained far from reference values for non‐tree species. The same gap regarding reference values occurred with species richness, which increased over restoration periods, although were far from the reference values. Redundancy and functional diversity are not related to restoration age. (2) Red/burgundy colour, gullet and bell‐funnel shape and large size were identified as indicators of the reference forest flowers. Different indicator traits were found for each restoration sites. (3) Sites were similar regarding originality for tree and for non‐tree species.ConclusionA highly diverse species pool seems to promise to increase richness and functional diversity of tree species, but not of non‐tree species. Trait analyses have important implications for restoration projects and can be used instead of species taxonomic identity, especially for highly diverse tropical forests. Such functional diversity may be advanced through a priori definition of which species from the regional pool can be used in plantings for forest restoration, with special attention to functional traits of non‐tree species. Otherwise, restoration sites in highly fragmented landscapes will not reach functional diversity of reference sites, even after a five‐decade period.

Pollen host selection by a broadly polylectic halictid bee in relation to resource availability

The relationship between utilized and available resources in the same environment has not yet been studied in most wild bees. In a riparian forest, a total of 15 pollen types from 10 plant families were identified from pollen provisions of 17 nests of the wood-dwelling Augochlora amphitrite (Hymenoptera: Halictidae) for which only floral records have been known. During the foraging period, only five out of 108 available flowering species were visited intensively (more than 10 %) for pollen. As more than three families and 32.2 % of the available plant families were visited for pollen, the broad polylecty category was inferred. Like in other Augochlora species, a variety of floral types was visited by A. amphitrite, in agreement with its broadly polylectic foraging habit. The selection index was positive for the highly abundant Ludwigia (Onagraceae) and the rare Gymnocoronis spilanthoides (Asteraceae). The intensive foraging on Ludwigia could indicate temporary specialization for this abundant pollen resource. The tendency of this bee to visit intensively one flower type for pollen suggests that bee individuals had to learn to handle this abundant flower type. Pollen analysis complemented with field observations on floral resource availability proved to be helpful tools to provide information on the foraging behaviour of a wild bee in its natural environment.

Enantiostylous types of Cassiinae species (Fabaceae-Caesalpinioideae).

Species of the subtribe Cassiinae present a wide diversity of floral types. Until recently it was considered that this diversity did not extend to their reproductive mechanisms. However, studies have recorded some variations in the enantiostylous pattern in this plant group. This study aims to investigate the morphological and functional variations of enantiostyly in species of the subtribe Cassiinae. Additionally, it proposes the recognition of enantiostylous types (ET) based on pollen deposition and capture mode. Morphological data were collected in fresh and fixed (alcohol 70%) buds and flowers, and also using photos and rehydrated material from herbarium sheets, for a total of 59 species. The parameters used to establish the ETs were pollination type, nature of pollen deposition on the pollinator body, deposition type, number of petals involved in pollen deposition, and pollen pathway. Morpho-functional features allowed the recognition of seven enantiostylous types (Flexuosa, Cana, Macranthera, Martiana, Amiciella, Repens and Ramosa) that present several levels of complexity. The type Ramosa was the most common and the Cana type was the least common. The types Repens, Martiana and Flexuosa do not have reciprocal pollen deposition, thus species with these types may be considered atypical. The groups resulting from similarity analysis partially coincide with the clades proposed in phylogenetic studies of Cassiinae. The recognition of functional ETs is important for understanding the evolution of reproductive strategies of Cassiinae species, and indicates an interesting line of investigation of enantiostyly in other plant groups.

不同栽培环境下桃果实香气成分的比较分析

以选育的毛桃新品种‘鲁蜜1号’为试材，采用顶空固相微萃取(HS–SPME)结合气相色谱—质谱(GC–MS)联用技术，测定了不同环境条件下(露天与设施栽培)桃果实香气成分。结果表明，不同栽培条件下的桃果实中香气物质种类及含量差异较大。露天条件下检测到8类26种化合物，设施条件下香气种类及含量略少，检测到5类25种化合物，没有检测到醛类、酮类、酸类化合物。其中酯类均为香气主要成分，分别占总香气含量的91.23%、84.89%。乙酸己酯含量最高，分别占72.4%和58.98%。在本实验中，共检测出7种特征香气，露天栽培条件下为7种，总含量为90.61%。设施栽培条件下仅有4种，总含量低于露天栽培，为88.26%。设施栽培条件下，果实中“果香型”酯类化合物含量减少，“青香型”醇类化合物种类及含量减少，并且缺少醛类、酸类和酮类化合物，“花香型”萜烯类化合物增加，是造成风味不足的主要原因。 The purpose of this study is to investigate the components of aroma by selecting a new variety of ‘Lumi 1’ peach fruit under distinct conditions (outdoors and greenhouse) through using Head Space Solid-Phase Microextraction (HS-SPME) and Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) coupled techniques. The results show that there are significant differences in the components of aroma in peach fruit under different cultivating conditions. None of aldehydes, ketones, and acids are found in both outdoor and greenhouse conditions; however, 8 categories of aroma of 26 kinds of compounds are found outdoors, which are higher than 5 categories of aroma of 25 kinds of compounds in greenhouse. The major components of aroma are esters, accounting for 91.23% and 84.89% respectively, of which the highest contents of hexylacetate are 72.4% and 58.98% respec-tively. A total of 7 kinds of characteristic aroma are found in the current study, and the content of 7 aromas outdoors is 90.61%, which is lower than 88.26% of 4 aromas in greenhouse. The main reasons for being lack of flavour in greenhouse result from the decrease of ester compounds of “fruity type”, the decrease of the categories and contents of alcohol compounds of “green type”, the lack of aldehydes, acids and flavonoids, and the increase of terpenoid compounds of “floral type”.

Frequency and foraging behavior of Apis mellifera in two melon hybrids in Juazeiro, state of Bahia, Brazil.

The study was carried out to verify if there are differences in foraging frequency and behavior of Apis mellifera in two melon hybrids (10:00 - 'Yellow melon' and Sancho -'Piel de Sapo') in the municipality of Juazeiro, state of Bahia, Brazil. The frequency, behavior of visitors and the floral resource foraged were registered from 5:00 am to 6:00 pm. There was a significant difference in the frequency of visits when comparing hydrids (F = 103.74, p <0.0001), floral type (F = 47.25, p <0.0001) and resource foraged (F = 239.14, p <0.0001). The flowers of Sancho were more attractive to A. mellifera when compared with hybrid 10:00, which may be correlated to the morphology and floral resources available. This could be solved with scaled planting, avoiding the overlapping of flowering of both types.

Effects of flower dimorphism and light environment on arbuscular mycorrhizal colonisation in a cleistogamous herb.

Although it is known that floral dimorphism contributes to the maintenance of mixed breeding systems, the consequences of producing progeny of a contrasting genetic background and seeds with differential resource allocation has been practically ignored regarding establishment of belowground organisms-plant interactions. This article evaluates the combined effect of floral dimorphism with cross type and light environment on interactions between Ruellia nudiflora and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF). R.nudiflora produces cleistogamous (CL) flowers that exhibit obligate self-pollination and chasmogamous (CH) flowers with facultative self- (CHs) or cross- (CHc) pollination. We evaluated the establishment of the plant-AMF interaction in progeny derived from each floral type, under two light conditions (shaded versus open). We established different scenarios depending on the existence of inbreeding depression (ID) and whether the differential resource allocation (DRA) to CH and CL flowers affected the R.nudiflora-AMF interaction. We predicted that under shaded light conditions there might be an intensification of ID, having a negative effect on AMF colonisation. The percentages of hyphae and vesicles in the harvested roots was significantly higher in the shaded plants (F≥4.11, P<0.05), while progeny of CHc and CHs presented a higher percentage of hyphae and vesicle colonisation compared to CL progeny (F=15.26, P<0.01). The results show that DRA to CH flowers and light availability both determines the establishment of R.nudiflora-AMF interaction. The results also suggest that even under stressful light conditions, endogamy does not affect this interaction, which may explain the success of R.nudiflora as an invasive species.

Does cleistogamy variation translate into outcrossing variation in the annual species Lamium amplexicaule (Lamiaceae)?

The maintenance of cleistogamy, the ability to produce closed, obligately selfing flowers (CL), and open, potentially outcrossed flowers (CH), in different proportions, is classically explained through different morphological/physiological properties of the two floral types, but rarely as a mechanism of adjusting the outcrossing rate. We explore the link between CH proportion and overall outcrossing rate in natural populations of Lamium amplexicaule. We assessed number of calices, CH proportion, CH and overall outcrossing rate in four natural populations in two distant areas in France. In each region, we had one favorable and one unfavorable habitat population. Unfavorable habitats produce smaller plants (with fewer calices) with higher CH proportions compared to favorable habitats, regardless of the geographic origin of the populations. CH outcrossing rate did not change significantly among populations. Thus, the overall outcrossing rate in L. amplexicaule is mainly determined by the CH proportion. Contrary to the classical view, unfavorable environments in our study are associated with higher rate of chasmogamous flowers, supposedly more costly to produce. We propose that cleistogamy variation can be considered as a variation of the outcrossing rate and could be explained by classic forces driving the evolution of mating systems (inbreeding depression, pollinators’ abundance).

Flower morphological diversity in Aframomum (Zingiberaceae) from Africa – the importance of distinct floral types with presumably specific pollinator associations, differential habitat adaptations and allopatry in speciation and species maintenance

Flower morphological diversity in Aframomum (Zingiberaceae) from Africa – the importance of distinct floral types with presumably specific pollinator associations, differential habitat adaptations and allopatry in speciation and species maintenance

Investigating C-4 Sugar Contamination of Manuka Honey and Other New Zealand Honey Varieties Using Carbon Isotopes

Carbon isotopes (δ(13)C honey and δ(13)C protein) and apparent C-4 sugar contents of 1023 New Zealand honeys from 15 different floral types were analyzed to investigate which New Zealand honey is prone to failing the AOAC 998.12 C-4 sugar test and evaluate the occurrence of false-positive results. Of the 333 honey samples that exceeded the 7% C-4 sugar threshold, 324 samples of these were New Zealand manuka honey (Leptospermum scoparium, 97.2% of all fails found in the study). Three monofloral honeys (ling, kamahi, and tawari) had nine samples (2.8% of all fails found in the study) with apparent C-4 sugars exceeding 7%. All other floral types analyzed did not display C-4 sugar fails. False-positive results were found to occur for higher activity New Zealand manuka honey with a methylglyoxal content >250 mg/kg or a nonperoxide activity >10+, and for some ling, kamahi and tawari honeys. Recommendations for future interpretation of the AOAC 998.12 C-4 sugar method are proposed.

Comparative floral ontogeny of single-flowered and double-flowered phenotypes of Alcea rosea (Malvaceae)

A comparative study of floral ontogeny in single- and double-flowered Alcea rosea L. was conducted using epi-illumination light microscopy. In both floral types, floral differentiation starts with the appearance of three epicalyx lobes, which subsequently subdivide to produce a 7–10-parted epicalyx. Five sepals appear then in a unidirectional or possibly spiral sequence. In single flowers, a corolla-androecium common primordium is formed and subsequently differentiated into five androecial sectors (= primary androecial primordia). Petals are developed at the base of the androecial sectors and secondary androecial primordia are initiated centrifugally in two rows on each sector. Later, tertiary androecial primordia are formed by the subdivision of secondary androecial primordia, which then differentiate into androecial units. Three types of double flowers were identified regarding androecial development. The first type of double flowers shows a more or less disorganised nature. However, 10 proliferation zones can be indentified in the proximal and distal tips of the androecial sectors. In the second and third types of double flowers, androecial development follows similar developmental pathways to that of single flowers. However, in second-type double flowers, the secondary androecial primordia differentiate into petals and the stamens then develop from the free space between the two rows of secondary androecial primordia. In third-type double flowers, after complete primordial partitioning, some primordia on the marginal parts of each androecial sector develop into petaloids or intermediate appendages. The gynoecium appears similarly in both floral types as numerous congenitally united carpel primordia. The double-flowered phenotypes of Alcea appear to fit the criteria for homoheterotopy with complete or partial replacement of stamens with petals, as well as for neoheterotopy, with the formation of stamens in a new position. Based on mutant phenotypes, it is suggested that different functions possibly contribute to the proliferation and differentiation of common primordia.

Amino acids profile of Serbian unifloral honeys

The free amino acids profile of 192 samples of seven different floral types of Serbian honey (acacia, linden, sunflower, rape, basil, giant goldenrod, and buckwheat) from six different regions was analysed in order to distinguish honeys by their botanical origin. The most abundant amino acids were proline, alanine, phenylalanine, threonine and arginine. Based on the established amino acids profiles, some important differences have been identified among studied honey samples relying on the basic descriptive statistics data, and confirmed by multivariate chemometric methods. Principal component analysis revealed that basil honey samples form a well-defined cluster imposed with phenylalanine content. The model obtained by linear discriminant analysis might be used to distinguish basil honey from the rest of the samples, and has moderate predictive power to separate genuine acacia, linden, sunflower and rape honeys. New data for the amino acids profile of giant goldenrod and buckwheat honey samples are presented. The floral origin of honey could be successfully evaluated by its amino acids profile coupled with chemometric analysis.

Identification of monofloral honey using voltammetric electronic tongue

Quality assessment of honey is often related to its floral origin which is a complex task to evaluate. Traditional technique of floral assessment is made by melissopalynological method. However, this method is quite time consuming and also often operator dependent. Thus, the fallout is a large range of error in interpretation of the result and hence there is considerable demand for instrumental methods to assess the identification of pollen in honey. In this pursuit, an electronic tongue based on cyclic voltammetry is developed to discriminate honey samples based on their floral types and is described in this paper. The technique has been investigated using platinum as the working electrode and the resultant current from the potentiostat has been considered for data analysis. The use of principal component analysis (PCA) and linear discriminate analysis (LDA) proves to be useful in clustering honey samples. Finally, classification performances are investigated using back-propagation multilayer perceptron (BP-MLP) and radial basis function (RBF) neural network models for identification of different floral origin of honey.

The stuble-field plant communities in South-East Poland. Part V. The comparative characteristics of stuble-fleld plant communities

In this of the presented paper results of the studies conducted in preceding four parts (I-IV) were synthetically assumed. On that background a comparative characteristics of specified stuble-field plant communities was conducted. It contains the most important features of communities and seats, in which they appear. In climatically, geomorphologically, hydrologically and with respect to soils differentiated conditions of South-East Poland, especially in former Rzeszów region, there were described stubble-field plant communities occurring as well on lowland, as on highland agricultural utility complexes. There were analysed 359 phytosociological records, in which 232 ones came from lowland, while 127 from highland complexes. The specified communities were included to two orders: &lt;i&gt;Secali-Violetalia arvensis&lt;/i&gt; (suborder &lt;i&gt;Polygono-Chenopodienalia&lt;/i&gt; : alliances &lt;i&gt;Eu-Polygono-Chenopodion&lt;/i&gt; and &lt;i&gt;Panico-Setarion&lt;/i&gt;) and &lt;i&gt;Cyperetalia fusci&lt;/i&gt; (alliance &lt;i&gt;Nanocyperion flavescentis&lt;/i&gt;). On the lowland agricultural utility complexes specified were seven types of communities: 3 belonged to &lt;i&gt;Panico-Setarion&lt;/i&gt; alliance (association &lt;i&gt;Digitarietum ischaemi&lt;/i&gt;; community with &lt;i&gt;Setaria glauca&lt;/i&gt; and association &lt;i&gt;Echinochloo-Setarietum&lt;/i&gt;), 2 to &lt;i&gt;Eu-Polygono-Chenopodion&lt;/i&gt; alliance (the community with &lt;i&gt;Euphorbia esula&lt;/i&gt; and &lt;i&gt;Oxalis stricta&lt;/i&gt; as well the community with &lt;i&gt;Veronica persica&lt;/i&gt;), while 2 associations from the &lt;i&gt;Nanocyperion flavescentis&lt;/i&gt; (&lt;i&gt;Hyperico-Spergularietum&lt;/i&gt; and &lt;i&gt;Centunculo-Anthocerotetum&lt;/i&gt;) alliance. On the other hand, on the highland complexes of South-East Poland only 3 communities were found: 1) with &lt;i&gt;Setaria glauca&lt;/i&gt; included to &lt;i&gt;Panico-Setarion&lt;/i&gt; alliance, 2) with &lt;i&gt;Veronica persica&lt;/i&gt; from &lt;i&gt;Eu-Polygono-Chenopodion&lt;/i&gt; alliance and 3) &lt;i&gt;Centunculo-Anthocerotetum&lt;/i&gt; association from &lt;i&gt;Nanocyperion flavescentis&lt;/i&gt; alliance. The specified floral types, as well as lower units (variants and sub variants), reflected the mechanical structure, hydrological conditions and pH soils in their seats, what confrumed a great differentiation of soil conditions on the tested area.

Melissopalynological and Volatile Compounds Analysis of Buckwheat Honey from Different Geographical Origins and Their Role in Botanical Determination

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) have been proposed as one of the main factors for differentiating honeys from different botanical/floral origins. In this work, we investigated the volatile profile of honeys, commercially labeled as buckwheat honeys, from the Alps and its relationship with melissopalynological investigation. The results showed that buckwheat honey samples that contained, to different extents, buckwheat pollen grains on melissopalynological analyses showed similar VOCs profiles, distinguishing them from the other honey floral types analyzed. Among VOCs identified, 3‐methylbutanal, butanoic acid, pentanoic acid, and isovaleric acid were considerably greater in the buckwheat honey samples from the Alps. Other compounds were identified only in the honeys containing buckwheat pollen grains such as 3‐methyl‐2‐buten‐1‐ol, 2‐butanone, 2‐hydroxy‐3‐pentanone, 4‐methylpentanoic acid, 4‐pentanoic acid, butanal, 2‐methylbutanal, pentanal, dihydro‐2‐methyl‐3(2H)‐furanone, 5‐methylfurfural, and cis‐linalool oxide. These compounds give to buckwheat honey its characteristic aromatic and organoleptic properties and may be considered interesting as potential “variety markers” for botanical determination.

Biological Activities and Some Physicochemical Properties of Sunflower Honeys Collected from the Thrace Region of Turkey

Honey is a sweet food made by bees using nectar from flowers. Its quality depends on a number of factors, such as floral type, pH, moisture, free acidity, diastase activity, invert sugar and sucrose. The aim of the study is to examine the qualities of 50 sunflower honey (Helianthus annuus L.) collected from the Thrace region of Turkey, in terms of melissopalynological analysis, important chemical parameters and antioxidant activities . The total phenolic content of the honey samples was determined by the Folin-Ciocalteu method with spectrophotometry. The 1,2-diphenyl-2-picryl hydrazyl (DPPH) method was used to determine anti-radical activity and the phosphomolybdenum method was utilized for antioxidant activity. Correlations between the analysed parameters were found to be statistically significant (p < 0.05). The results obtained for physicochemical characteristics of sunflower honey indicate a good quality level, adequate processing, good maturity and freshness and that the sunflower honey samples studied proved to be good source of natural dietary antioxidants. This is the first report of the total phenolic content, antioxidant and antiradical activities of sunflower honeys collected from the Thrace region of Turkey.

Complex patterns of morphogenesis, embryology, and reproduction in Triuris brevistylis, a species of Triuridaceae (Pandanales) closely related to Lacandonia schismatica

Triuris brevistylis Donn. Sm. (Triuridaceae: Pandanales), a mycoheterotrophic monocotyledon with populations in Mexico and Guatemala, is closely related to Lacandonia schismatica E. Martínez et C. H. Ramos, a triurid species displaying a peculiar “inside-out” arrangement in its reproductive axes. Triuris brevistylis is a polygamodioecious species in which four types of bisexual ramets–genets coexist besides regular (i.e., unisexual) male and female flowers. Here, we characterize the embryology of three of the following different types of reproductive axes in T. brevistylis: male and female flowers and a bisexual floral type in which stamens develop at the base of the receptacle of an otherwise female-looking flower. Through this embryological characterization, we have detected that cleistogamy, a mechanism previously considered exclusive to L. schismatica, occurs in the bisexual flowers. Besides serving as characters for the systematics of Triuridaceae and Pandanales, our data establish that morphogenetic and reproductive patterns in T. brevistylis are more complex than in L. schismatica. Therefore, we claim that our results contribute to a refined assessment of the controversy regarding morphological interpretation of reproductive axes in triurids.

Daijima-type conifer wood assemblage of the Hatamura Formation (Middle Miocene) in the Akita Prefecture, Japan

The paleofloral change from the Aniai-type to the Daijima-type during the Miocene is the most distinctive and representative one of the six floral changes in the Japanese Archipelago during the Tertiary. These floral types are based mainly on compressed or imprinted leaf fossils. In Korea, the transition-type between the Aniai- and Daijima-type floras has been proposed based on the fossil wood assemblages, and the Hatamura Formation, which is the same age as the Daijima Formation, has yielded abundant fossil woods. To confirm whether the fossil wood assemblages are in agreement with the paleofloras inferred from fossil leaves, the fossil woods from the Hatamura Formation were studied. We found that warm temperate and daijiman elements, such as Keteleeria, Taxodioxylon cunninghamioides, T. sequoianum and Pinus, were present in the Hatamura Formation. Therefore, it can be concluded that the fossil wood types from the Hatamura Formation agree well with the Daijima-type Flora. This result, in turn, verifies the existence of transitional flora between the Aniaiand Daijima-types in Northeastern Asia.

Shared pollinators and pollen transfer dynamics in two hybridizing species, Rhinanthus minor and R. angustifolius

Gene flow between hybridizing plant species depends strongly on pollinator behaviour, which affects pollen transfer among floral types and reproductive isolation. We examined bumblebee behaviour and pollen transfer between two hybridizing Rhinanthus species that are very similar in ecology and floral traits. The two species, Rhinanthus minor and R. angustifolius, shared similar pollinator guilds and assemblages, but pollinator recruitment and flower visitation rates were higher in R. angustifolius sites, probably because of its higher reward levels and better visibility. When presented with Rhinanthus flowers, bumblebees that previously foraged on R. angustifolius were less prone to visit R. minor inflorescences, while R. minor foragers accepted both species in similar proportions. Although Rhinanthus has been cited as a case of mechanical isolation resulting from interactions between bee behaviour and differences in stigma and anther placement, we found no support for efficient mechanical reproductive isolation. Bumblebees that foraged on R. minor flowers carried more pollen, but pollen placement on their bodies was similar to that of bees that visited R. angustifolius, and cross-specific stigmatic pollen deposition was similar in both directions. However, the asymmetry in pollinator handling time between the two species, due to dissimilar pollen rewards, may have lowered relative heterospecific pollen receipt on R. angustifolius, suggesting that net gene flow resulting from pollen transfer dynamics is more likely towards R. minor, although this effect remains weak and will be most likely counterbalanced by context-based labile pollinator preference.

Deppeopsis, un Género Nuevo (Hamelieae, Rubiaceae) de México y Guatemala

Within the frame of the Deppea two types of floral organisation have been recognised: the classic genus based on the type D. erythrorhiza Cham. et Schltdl., characterised by rotate corolla with very short tube, longer filaments and long linear anthers both longer than the corolla tube. The other floral type is characterised by funnel-form corolla, with longer upwards broadening corolla tube with short or absent filaments and short, ovate anthers. This corolla type was recognised by Standley (1933) and described as Edithea based on E. floribunda Standl. Based on seemingly intermediate corolla forms the two genera were united by the classic taxonomic treatment of Lorence and Dwyer (1988), but micromorphological-anatomical evidence (Borhidi et al. 2004) reinforced Standley’s concept, supported also by the molecular studies of Stranczinger et al. (2010). These latter ones claimed the attention to another taxonomic split existing within the generic frame of Deppea s. str. The separating evidences are in the fr...

Fenologia reprodutiva de Maytenus ilicifolia (Celastraceae) na Floresta Nacional de Irati, Paraná, Brasil

The present study investigates the reproductive phenology of a natural population of Maytenus ilicifolia Mart. ex Reissek from the Mixed Ombrophylous Forest (Araucaria Forest). The phenological study was carried out from April 2003 to March 2005, on 78 adult trees. The intensity of phenological events was estimated based on the scale of Fournier. The population showed seasonal behavior. A significant correlation was observed between temperature, day length and flowering. Two floral types were identified, one pistillate and the other staminate, and together with the phenology patterns results a dioecious characteristic for the species is suggested.