Inflorescence Position Influences Phenological Rhythms in Leguminosae Species

Abstract

We present a case study focusing on the influence of inflorescence position on the relationships between foliar and reproductive phases, focusing on three Leguminoseae tree species in the Chapada Diamantina, Brazil. Both Senna multijuga and Copaifera langsdorffii produce terminal panicles and showed vegetative and reproductive phenophases that were correlated but segregated in time, with the marked concentration of reproductive data. The presence of axillary inflorescences on Inga cayennensis enables the simultaneous production of both flowers and leaves, without the segregation or the correlation of those phases, with a uniform distribution of reproductive data. This study encourages further investigations regarding the effects of inflorescence position on plant phenology.