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Abstract                 Volume:3  Issue-10  Year-2016          Original Research Articles

IJCRBP is now DOI (CrossRef) registered Research Journal. The DOIs are assigned to all published IJCRBP Articles.

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Flowering Phenology and Reproductive Success of the Orchids of Mt Cameroon in Relation to a Changing Environment
S.E. Essomo1, B. A. Fonge1*, E.E. Bechem1, P. T. Tabot2 and B. D. Arrey1
1Department of Botany and Plant Physiology, Faculty of Science, University of Buea, P.O. Box 63 Buea, Cameroon
2Department of Agriculture, HTTTC Kumba, University of Buea, P.O. Box 249 Kumba, Cameroon
*Corresponding author
Abstract:

A study was conducted in the Mount Cameroon Region from January 2013 to December 2015 on the reproductive biology of orchids. Sixty-nine species of orchids were collected and identified and their flowering times noted. Observations on the flowering phenology of the collected species suggests that most of the orchids flowered during the months of February, March, April, August and September when the rains are intense. Visitors and their rates of visitation of Ansellia africana, Bletilla striata, Bulbophyllum lupulinum, Liparis epiphytica and Polystachya laxiflora were also studied through a “sit and watch” approach. The number of visits varied significantly with the type of visitor. Ants were the only visitor to all 5 orchid species. There was a strong positive correlation between reproductive success and total number of fruits but a weaker correlation between reproductive success and total number of flowers. The species with the highest success rate was Habenaria procera (86.44%), while that with the least success rate was Listrostachys pertusa (01.68%). The reproductive life cycle of orchids from flowering to dehiscence takes approximately 4 months (flowering ± 30 days; fruiting ± 30 and dehiscence (maturing of fruits to busting of capsules) ±50 days. Polystachya laxiflora flowered all year round.Fruiting and dehiscence showed no significant trends in all species of orchids. Both factors were dependent on flowering times or respective species. Temperature, rainfall and relative humidity had no significant influence on fruiting and dehiscence of capsules but were important in flowering. The changing climate could therefore significantly sift phenological patterns of the species.

Keywords: Mount Cameroon Region,Orchidaceae,Phenology,Reproductive success
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How to cite this article:

Essomo, S.E., Fonge, B. A., Bechem, E.E.., Tabot, P. T., Arrey, B. D., 2016. Flowering phenology and reproductive success of the Orchids of Mt Cameroon in relation to a changing environmentInt.J.Curr.Res.Biosci.Plantbiol. 3(10): 21-35. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.20546/ijcrbp.2016.310.004
Copyright: This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike license.