Reproductive Phenology and Pollination Biology of Madhuca Neriifolia in Wet Evergreen Forest of Western Ghats, South India

Pollination syndromes are suites of phenotypic traits hypothesized to reflect convergent adaptations of flowers for pollination by a specific type of animal. Madhuca neriifolia is an endangered plant species occurring in the Southern Western Ghats of India. The species is sub-annual with an event of two consequent flowering periods per year. The morphological traits of the flowers are evolved in such a way that it can support mixed type of pollination syndromes such as anemophily, entomophily, ornithophily, and chiropterophily. Flowers offer sugar rich nectar present in the flesh corolla and also provide pollen for the visiting pollinators as a pollination reward. The flowers are self-compatible, pollinates both self and cross. Highest mean percentage of fruit set was observed with manual hand cross pollination during November 2011. The high outcrossing index (=4) indicates the necessity of pollinator species for the cross pollination which is supported by the breeding results obtained with manual hand cross pollination. The paired t-test between controlled (open pollination) and the treatments (manual self and cross pollinations) were significantly different