Floral attributes, ornithophily and reproductive success of Palicourea longepedunculata Gardner were studied in a fragment of the Atlantic Forest in southeastern Brazil. This species is a distylous shrub that occurs in wet forest understory. In an area of seven hectares, the frequency of the morphs was found at a ratio very close to the expected 1:1. The flowering period extended from March (end of the rainy season) to September, with a flowering peak in May/June (dry season). The floral attributes of the morphs were similar, i.e. , the flowering of the floral morphs was synchronous, and the numbers of inflorescences per plant, flowers per inflorescence, open flowers per inflorescence and per plant of the floral morphs were similar. The pollen grains of the morphs presented similar sizes, as well as their viability. Palicourea longepedunculata is self-incompatible and mainly pollinated by Phaethornis rubber (Aves, Trochilidae), which accounted for 62.07% of the foraging bouts. The reproductive success was similar between morphs: the numbers of fruits per inflorescence were, in average, 85.7 (L-morph) and 107.1 (S-morph) and there was no significant difference in the production of seeds (one or two) per fruit between the morphs. Fruits were similar in height, width and weight.
Atlantic forest; flowering phenology; hummingbirds; Palicourea; Phaethornis
