Biologia reprodutiva de Copaifera langsdorffii Desf. (Leguminosae, Caesalpinioideae)

• Autor(a) principal: Freitas, Cristiane V.
• Data de Publicação: 2002
• Outros Autores: Oliveira, Paulo E.
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Repositório Institucional da UnB
• Texto Completo: http://repositorio.unb.br/handle/10482/25872; https://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S0100-84042002000300007
• topic: Cerrados; Polinização

A survey on the phenology and reproductive biology of Copaifera langsdorffii Desf. was carried out in a cerradão area at Fazenda Capim Branco, Uberlândia, MG. Flowering occurs during the rain season and seed dispersal during the dry season. Flowers are pale-green, 0.5 cm in diameter, weakly zigomorphic and organized in paniculate inflorescences. They are highly odoriferous, one-day flowers. Anthesis begins at about 5:00 h. The nectar production is very small (0.2 ml) with 49% of sucrose equivalents. The most frequent flower visitors and pollinators were Apis mellifera, Scaptotrigona cf. depiles and Trigona spinipes bees. Controlled hand-pollinations showed that the species is mostly self-sterile and non-apomictic. However, pollen tubes were observed growing down to the ovary and penetrating the ovules in self-pollinated pistils, a fact which suggests late-acting self-sterility phenomena or inbreeding depression. Fruit-set was always low and related to low flower to fruit conversion, may be due to inefficient pollination and fruit predation.