Reproductive biology ofFrangula alnus (Rhamnaceae) in southern Spain

Various aspects of the reproductive biology of the perennial hermaphroditeFrangula alnus Mill. were studied in two populations located in the province of Cádiz, southern Spain. Flowering extends from the second week of May to early July. The small, whitegreenish, entomophilous flowers are incompletely protandrous and last 8–10 days, but pollen transfer takes place only on days 1–3. A very weak, pleasant odour along with nectar and pollen attract over 45 insect species, of which 21 are probable pollinators. These are mainlyDiptera but also includeHymenoptera and the unusual (as flower visitors)Mecoptera. Reproduction is exclusively sexual and strictly xenogamous, with pollen transfer depending solely on insect vectors. Although flower morphology and individual flower phenology do not fully prevent self-pollination, and geitonogamy can easily take place, the level of autogamy was negligible. Therefore, some self-incompatibility mechanism is operative in this species. Only 2.8% of open-pollinated flowers set fruit. At the flower level, fruit initiation was apparently limited by availability of cross-pollen, which in turn seemed influenced by the structure of the population. The seed/ovule ratio in ripe fruits was ca. 50%. Predispersal (maternal) reproductive success (percent ovules becoming filled seeds) was 1.42%. For mature individuals this corresponded to ca. 430 to 1560 potential offspring per year.