Phenology of Rhododendron wattii Cowan (Ericales: Ericaceae) - a threatened plant of Nagaland, India

The paper deals with the flowering phenology of Rhododendron wattii Cowan (Ericaceae family), a threatened and endemic plant from Nagaland, northeastern India. The study was conducted at Dzukou Valley, Kohima District of Nagaland, on a single tree of R. wattii growing at an elevation of 2,600 m with no other tree of the same species in the vicinity. Flowering occurs from the end of February to April, and fruiting is observed from April to December. The flowers present in trusses of 18–25 flowers are pink with darker flecks and purplish basal blotches. They are foraged and pollinated by the Fire-tailed Sunbird Aethopyga ignicauda and bumble bees (Bombus spp.). The only attractant for the foragers is the nectar secreted in the five nectaries at the base of the corolla tube. Catastrophes like frequent forest fires and anthropogenic activities are responsible for the disappearance of this species.