FOUR-YEAR GROWTH AND REPRODUCTION OF CYCLOPOGON CRANICHOIDES (ORCHIDACEAE) IN SOUTH FLORIDA

Thirty-five flowering individuals of the orchid Cyclopogon cranichoides were marked in 1986, and their leaf area, number of flowers, and number of fruits were recorded from 1986 to 1989. In 1986 and 1987 all the flowers on 20 individuals were hand-pollinated. The number of plants with above-ground growth steadily decreased by about 20% each year. In some cases there was evidence that disappearance of plants was not due to mortality but to a transition into a subterranean state. Small plants were most likely to make this transition. Flower number was significantly associated with plant size. Fruiting success was pollinator-limited throughout this study; fruit set of hand-pollinated individuals was higher than 96%, whereas natural fruit set ranged from 26% in 1987 to 62% in 1988. Fruit set did not have any effect on growth or reproduction the following year.