Phenological cycles of Myrica faya Aiton (Myricacae) in the Azores Islands

• Autor(a) principal: Silva, Luís
• Data de Publicação: 1995
• Outros Autores: Tavares, João
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos)
• Texto Completo: http://hdl.handle.net/10400.3/816
• topic: Myrica faya; Phenological Cycles; Phytophagous Insects; São Miguel Island

The phenological cycles of Myrica faya AITON, 1789 (Myricaceae) were followed, weekly, at to sites in São Miguel Island (Azores), from October 1991 to October 1993. Data collected until this date support the following conclusions: 1) Flushing is reduced or inexistent from December until April. Net leaf production, per shoot, per year, is 16 leaves near the coast and 12 leaves at 550 m. Average growth rate at the tip of the shoots is about 7 cm/year. Leaf fall extends along the entire year. 2) Male flowering occurs between April and June/July, but female flowering extends until July/August. Green fruits and red fruits appear from May/June until September/ October, while purple fruits are found from July until October/November. Fruit drop extends between September and November. 3) Leaf damage, caused by phytophagous insects peacks during summer and autumn, but leaf mines are rare. Several factors, including strong winds near the coast and a disease causing dark spots on the leaves, may affect their lifetime, while a fungus attacks meristems. Male flower damage and fruit damage, caused by phytophagous insects, occurs in May and between June and September, respectively.