Effect of different pollination treatments on Berberis microphylla G. Forst, a Patagonian barberry

Abstract

Calafate (Berberis microphylla G. Forst) grows on Tierra del Fuego in extreme climates where low temperatures and strong winds prevail throughout the year. Due to these conditions Apidae do not survive during the flowering season of this species. Some syrphids were observed at anthesis collecting nectar. Although the disposition of floral pieces, humid stigma and retractable stamens could suggest that the species is self-compatible, results of controlled treatments of self- and cross-pollination compared with those after open-pollination performed during three different periods (2010, 2011 and 2014), do not support this hypothesis. Thus, self-pollination resulted only in pollen germination on the stigmas but the pollen tubes were not able to reach the ovules.