Phenological study carried out in Ducke Forest Reserve during the period of 1970 to 1990. Is was done a multivariate analysis with the phenophases (complete flowering, mature fruits and new leaves) and five climatic variables (relative humidity, rain-fall, insolation, evaporation and mean temperature). Complete flowering occurred in dry season (from July to november) to all species; Pouteria guiaiiensis Aubl. presented biannual periodicity; Radlkoferella macmcaipa (Hubr.) Aubr. was annual; Chrysophyllum oppositun (Ducke) Ducke, annual irregular; Ragala ucuquirana-branca (Aubr. & Pellegr.) W. Rodr., annual alternated; and Ragala ulei (Krause) Aubr., irregular (has presented flowering only in 5 years). Fruiting occurred in wet season (from december to aprii) to all species. The fruiting periodicity to P. guiaiiensis was irregular; C. opposition and R. macrocarpa were annual irregular; R. ucucquirana-branca, annual alternated and R. ulei was very irregular, fruiting only in 2 years of this study. The fruiting irregularity, probably, could be explicated by fruits predation, because all of them are succulents and eatables by animals. The Principal Components Analysis demonstrated that rain fall, relative humidity and mature fruits were related to the rain season in opposition to insolation, evaporation and mean temperature related to dry season, where occurred complete flowering and new leaves. It is showed the matrix of linear correlations to the phenological and climatic variables. A factorial analysis of simple correspondence showed that rain fall was the variable with the greater contribution (40%) followed by insolation (25%), complete flowering (13%), new leaves (9%), mature fruits (8%), evaporation (5%), mean temperature (0%) and relative humidity (0%).
Phenology; climate; multivariate analysis; tropical forest