Entomophily,ornithophily and anemochory in the highly self-incompatible boswellia ovalifoliolata bal. & Henry (Burseraceae),an endemic and endangered medicinal tree species

Boswellia ovalifoliolata (burseraceae) has been investigated for its reproductive biology. its flowering,fruiting and seed dispersal events occur in leafless state during dry season. the flowers are small,bisexual,mildly odoriferous and actinomorphic; weakly protandrous but strictly self-incompatible. insects and sunbirds pollinate the flowers but floral characteristics suggest that entomophily is the principal mode. bud and flower feeding by a weevil and flower and fruit feeding by the palm squirrel have been found to be greatly affecting the success of sexual reproduction. the garden lizard serves as a predator of pollinating insects,especially bees and wasps; while acting so it affects the pollination rate in this tree species. fruit set in open-pollination is below 10% while it is up to 34% in manual cross-pollination. the study suggests that limitation of cross-pollination,space constraint for seed production from all ovules of the flower and availability of limited resources to the tree with rocky,dry and limited litter in the floor of the forest seem to be the constraints for higher fruit set. mature fruits dehisce and disseminate their light weight,papery and winged seeds with the aid of wind. the study site being windy provides the necessary driving force for effective dispersal of seeds away from parental trees. seed germination occurs following rainfall but the growth and development of seedlings depends on soil water and nutritional status. field observations indicate that the success rate of seedling recruitment is highly limited and it could be due to nutrient-poor soil and water stress resulting from dry spells during rainy season.