An annual cycle of flowering, fruiting and seed reserve for Halophila decipiens Ostenfeld (Hydrocharitaceae) in Panama

A peak of flowering, fruiting and seed production was observed at Toro Point on the Caribbean coast of Panama in September 1987, but some flowers and fruits were detected almost continuously from August 1987 through August 1988. Few plants remained in the seagrass bed after high wave action in early February, but the bed had recovered by late March and showed some flowering. Some seeds were present in each 10 × 10 cm sample taken through the year, but the lowest seed reserve was recorded in February–March, near the end of the dry season. The peak for the seed reserve in September coincided with the culmination of the active flowering and fruiting during the wet season.