FLOWERING PATTERN AND PROTANDRY IN BOESENBERGIA LONGIFLORA

doi:10.3773/j.issn.1005-264x.2009.03.004

Abstract

Abstract:

Aims Boesenbergia longiflora (Wallich) Kuntze is a perennial protandrous ginger widely distributed in Asian tropics. It usually grows in crevices of calcareous rocks of limestone monsoon rainforests or in sedimentation soil on the roadside, forming patches in the understory. Its floral longev-ity is 2 days. Flowers are in male stage during the first day and in female stage during the second day of flowering. Autogamy is avoided because two sexual functions are not overlapping in a single flower. Our objectives were to investigate if any other floral mechanism reinforced protandry to avoid geitonogamy and to determine the pollinators and their visiting patterns on the flowers in different sexual stages of different populations.

Methods Flowering phenology was monitored once a week for two years. Floral morphology was studied and compared for three populations of different habitats. Flowering pattern was studied by investigating number of flowering inflorescences and flowers in male or in female stage in four populations and under cultivation. We also investigated natural seed-sets and plant density for different populations. Pollinators were observed in three populations.

Important findings Most of individuals of B. longiflora had only one flowering inflorescence at a time and produced one flower every other day. About 10% of all individuals investigated had male and female stage flowers at the same time, both in four natural populations and under cultivation. The pollination system was generalized with different insects as pollinators, including Apis florae, Bombus sp., Amegilla fimrata, Anthophora plagiata, Amegilla yunnansis, Nmia ellioti and Apis cerana in different populations. Plant and floral sizes did not differ significantly among populations. The flowering pattern of most individuals was one flower every other day, which reinforced protandry and avoided selfing.

Key words: protandry, flowering pattern, floral biology, Boesenbergia longiflora, Zingiberaceae

YANG Shu-Xia, GAO Jiang-Yun. FLOWERING PATTERN AND PROTANDRY IN BOESENBERGIA LONGIFLORA[J]. Chin J Plant Ecol, 2009, 33(3): 449-459.

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URL: https://www.plant-ecology.com/EN/10.3773/j.issn.1005-264x.2009.03.004

https://www.plant-ecology.com/EN/Y2009/V33/I3/449

Figures/Tables 7

Fig.1 Plants of Boesenbergia longiflora in two different habitats and flowers in different sexual phases

Table 1 Plant and floral size of Boesenbergia longiflora among three populations

Fig.2 The number of flowers produced by 94 potted plants during the flowering period of 2007

Fig.3 Proportion of plants with flowers in different sexual stages to all flowering plants of the 94 potted plants during the flowering period of 2007 (n=94)

Fig.4 Proportion of plants with flowers in different sexual stages to all flowering plants in the populations

Fig.5 The average minimum distances of individuals of Boesenbergia longiflora in four populations

Fig.6 The visiting frequency of pollinators to flowers of Boesenbergia longiflora in different populations

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