DISRUPTION AND RECOVERY OF INTRA·CROWN FRUITING SYNCHRONY IN A CASSIA GRANDIS (LEGUMINOSAE) TREE

Abstract

Five large branches of a Cassia grandis tree were deflowered in its flowering year; the consequence was that 10-20 percent of the floweringfruiting capacity of the tree's crown was offset by one year from the tree's normal biennial flower ing/fruiting cycle. During the following five years, the sexual cycling of the five experimental branches returned to synchrony with the remainder of the tree. Resynchronization occurred through the process of the 5 branches gradually decreasing their fruit num bers in the tree's non-fruiting years and gradually increasing their fruit numbers in the tree's fruting years. This suggests both independence of sexual behavior by branches and sensitivity of branches to the ho rmonal cueing of the tree as a qhole. In Cassia grandis, selection for strong intra-crown sexual synchrony among years is probably based on decreased seed predation by bruchid beetles when the tree lack.s a seed crop every other year.