REPRODUCTIVE BIOLOGY OF HELIANTHEMUM APENNINUM (L.) MILL. AND H. CAPUT-FELIS BOISS. (CISTACEAE) FROM MALLORCA (BALEARIC ISLANDS, SPAIN)

Abstract

Reproductive biology of Helianthemum apenninum (L.) Mili. and H. caput-felis Boiss. (Cistaceae) from Mallorca (Balearic Islands, Spain). The study of reproductive biology of natural populations of Helianthemum apenninum and H. caput-felis from Majorca, has demonstrated them to be basically entomophilous, although they also produce many fruits by self-pollination. H. caput-felis flowers last for four days, while H. apenninum flowers last for one day, as ussualy occurs in other species of the genus. In the H. appeninum population, severe ungulate predation affects 50% of the plants. In germination tests, the optimum temperature was 16°C for H. apenninum and 23 °C for H. caput-felis. H. caput-felis shows high interannual germination variability. In the naturally occurring population of H. caput-felis, it has been observed atelechory, and related to this, the germination of the seeds covered by the fruit capsule.