Pollination of Luehea (Tiliaceae) in Costa Rican deciduous forest

Studies of the reproductive biology of three species of Luehea (Tiliaceae) conducted in Costa Rican deciduous forest demonstrated that all species produce hermaphroditic flowers exhibiting nocturnal anthesis, anther dehiscence, nectar secretion, and fragrances consistent with adaptation for nocturnal moth pollination. Luehea candida , flowering during the wet season, has self-incompatible flowers pollinated primarily by sphingid moths. Generalist diurnal visitors, including stingless bees, flies, and butterflies, were also common flower visitors, but experiments showed that they were ineffective pollinators. Luehea candida apparently rejects pollen from nearby conspecifics as a means of limiting inbreeding resulting from pollination by poor outcrossers such as stingless bees. The principal pollinators of L. seemannii , which flowers during the dry season, were determined to be the same types of diurnal visitors that contributed nothing to pollination success of L. candida .