Observations on flowers of the Genus Bruguiera from Setiu mangrove areas, Terengganu

Abstract

The purpose of this research was to study the flower morphology of mangrove trees from the genus Bruguiera (Rhizophoraceae) at Setiu mangrove areas, Terengganu. The objective of this study is to determine the pollination strategy of each species in this genus from their floral traits. A total of five Bruguiera species was recorded in this study, including the new locality record of Bruguiera rhynchopetala. A total of 33 flowers from 11 trees were collected for morphometric study. The results showed that B. gymnorhiza and B. rhynchopetala were the largest flowers as compared to B. sexangula. Bruguiera rhynchopetala however, showed overlap traits between the parents, and thus suggested the same pollination strategy. Meanwhile, B. cylindrica showed the smallest flower from all the measurements recorded and B. hainesii showed intermediate size. The small herkogamy in B. cylindrica indicates self-pollination, while the large herkogamy in the other four species might indicates cross-pollination by pollinating agents, possibly birds.