SEASONAL PATTERNS OF LEAF GROWTH AND LOSS, FLOWERING AND FRUITING ON A SUBTROPICAL CENTRAL PACIFIC ISLAND

We studied the phenology of leaf production and loss, flowering, and f ruiting on Henderson Island, a raised limestone island situated at 24 degrees S in the Central South Pacific. The one-year study encompassed 19 of the 22 wide-spread indigenous tree and shrub species found in t he plateau forest. Of 11 species showing significant annual variation in leaf production, all grew most new leaves immediately after the sol ar zenith between January and March, when temperatures were highest. T hirteen species showed significant annual variation in leafless, with peaks in October/ November or January/February. In most species, Janua ry-June saw net leaf gain, while the converse was true from July-Decem ber. Only one species, Premna serratifolia, was deciduous, shedding le aves and then remaining leafless for approximately two months until ne w shoots grew leaves. Flowering and fruiting were more evenly distribu ted through the year than leaf production. This could be related to th e scarcity of pollinating insects and/or of fruit dispersers on this e xceptionally remote island.