Pollination of Passiflora: do different pollinators serve species belonging to different subgenera?

AMELA GARCÍA, M. T.& HOC, P. S.

ACTA HORTICULTURAE

International Society of Horticultural Sciences

Lugar: Budapest; Año: 2001 vol. 561 p. 71 - 74

0567-7572

The pollination of 6 species of Passiflora (Passifloraceae) belonging to 3 subgenera was studied: P. caerulea, P. mooreana (subg. Passiflora), P. urnaefolia, P. misera (subg. Decaloba), P. foetida and P.chrysophylla (subg. Dysosmia). The main pollinators of P. mooreana, P. caerulea and P. urnaefolia were large Apoidea: six species of Xylocopa (Anthophoridae), and also Bombus tucumanus (Apidae) for the last one. The medium sized Apoidea Centris spp. (Anthophoridae) and Apis mellifera (Apidae), the hawkmoth Erinnyis ello (Sphingidae), Chlorostilbon aureoventris (Trochilidae) and other hummingbirds were occasional pollinators. The main pollinators of P. misera, P. foetida and P. chrysophylla  were the medium sized Apoidea Ptiloglossa spp. (Colletidae) and Thygater analis (Apidae), while Xylocopa augusti pollinated occasionally. Species in the first group are principally served by large pollinators, and those in the second group by medium sized ones. This is in accordance with the different size and firmness of the flowers of each group. The first group also showed more richness for pollinator species. Considering their floral features and their pollinators, each of the species of subg. Decaloba was grouped with the ones of the other two subgenera, so, at least in these aspects, subg. Decaloba seems to be more heterogeneous than Passiflora and Dysosmia.