Fenologia de floração e frutificação e análise morfométrica de frutos e sementes em espécies florestais da Várzea do Estuário Amazônico

Abstract

The phenology of flowering and fruiting together with the knowledge of the reproductive structures are studies that allow the understanding of the regeneration and management of tropical forests. The objective was to study the flowering and fruiting phenology and to analyze the morphometry of fruits and seeds of Symphonia globulifera L. (anani da várzea), Hura creptans L. (assacu) and Virolasurinamensis (Rol.) Warb. (ucuúba) at Ilha do Combu, Belém-Pará. We observed the phenophases in ten individuals of each species during the period from August 2002 to June 2003, from the appearance of the flower buds to the complete formation of fruits. For morphometric analysis, the fruits were collected from the ground, transported in plastic bags to the ecology laboratory of the Emílio Goeldi Museum of Pará, morphological description was made, fruits and seeds were measured with a pachymeter and seeds were counted. Symphonia globulifera L. bloomed in October, November and from January to May; set fruit in August and September and from November to February; it presents simple fruits of the globose berry type, with size between 2.13-3.8 cm wide and 2.43-3.84 cm long, with one to three seeds/fruit. Hura creptans L. flowered and fruiting from August to the first week of May; it bears simple dry, spherical, flattened at the ends, multilocular fruit, where each locule contains one seed, size between 6.62-7.38 cm wide and 3.35-3.58 in long and 11- 16 seeds/fruit. Virolasurinamensis flowered in August and September and from November to March; it fructified from October to March, from April to the beginning of May no individual flowered nor fructified; it presents spherical, simple globose berry-type fruit, fleshy and dehiscent, size between 1.72-2.5 cm wide and 1.75-2.42 in long, with one seed per fruit. It was concluded that Symphonia globulifera and Virola surinamensis showed alternating synchrony between the phases, while Hura creptans showed synchrony with overlapping phases, possibly these processes may contribute as biological strategies for the maintenance and survival of the species.