Reproductive biology of Colletia spinosissima (Rhamnaceae) in Argentina

We studied the reproductive behavior of Colletia spinosissima Gmel. at six sites in two regions of Argentina during the 1998-2000 flowering seasons. Flowering takes place in winter. The flowers are homogamous, fragrant, and entomophilous. There was evidence of self-incompatibility and cross-incompatibility between nearby partners . Fruit set of open-pollinated flowers (13.3%) seemed pollen-limited, since low fecundity was consistently associated with small stigmatic pollen loads and with low numbers of successful pollen tubes, and fecundity increased with abundance of efficient pollinators. Reproductive success (percent ovules becoming viable seeds) was 3.6. It is hypothesized that homogamy was established in Colletia because in an impoverished pollination environment - such as the one likely prevailing when this lineage evolved - achieving pollen export and receipt in a single pollinator visit has selective advantages. A large stigma and an extragynoecial compitum would compensate for the homogamy-driven, increased pollen-stigma interference.