2005. First confirmation of a native bird-pollinated plant in Europe. Á/ Oikos 110: 578 Á/ 590.The pollination of Anagyris foetida L. (Fabaceae), a Mediterranean species that is a relict of the Tertiary, was studied in two populations of SW Spain over a three-year period. Numerous censuses of birds and insects were carried out, the floral nectar was quantified, and specific tests were performed to determine the pollinators' pollen load, the pollen's effective transfer to the pistil, and spontaneous self-pollination. The most important pollinators were three species of passeriforms Á/Phylloscopus collybita Vieillot, Sylvia atricapilla L. and S. melanocephala Gmelin Á/ a result coherent with findings in populations of S and E Spain. The negligible existence of insect visitors and pollinators of A. foetida flowers could be explained by the early flowering of this species during the autumn Á/winter, coinciding with the coolest and wettest months of the year (cold, high winds, almost daily mists that persist until nightfall, and above all, abundant rainfall). The pollen loads carried by the birds were high, as were also the loads transferred to the pistil. The fruit-set of bagged flowers was very low, evidence of the plant's need for the birds as pollinators. This is the first proof of the existence of a native European bird-pollinated plant, since besides its peculaliarities (flowers odourless, pseudotubular, with no landing platform, pendulous, diurnal populations were mainly pollinated by three passeriform species.

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We studied the reproductive biology of two leguminous shrubs endemic of the western Mediterranean region Cytisus striatus (Hill) Rothm. and Retama sphaerocarpa (L.) Boiss. The former is polliniferous, and the latter is nectariferous, with maximum nectar production at the earliest hours of the morning. Germination of the pollen grains in the flowers of the two species occurs only after rupture of the stigmatic surface. It is also necessary in both cases that pollinators (mainly Apis mellifera) visit the flowers for fruit and seed set to occur. A study of the pollen-pistil interaction indicated that there exists prezygotic self-incompatibility in these two species, probably of the gametophytic type, but some self-pollen tubes escape this control and self-fertilize some ovules. However, after hand self-pollination, fruit and seed set is very low for both species. This suggests the existence of a postzygotic rejection mechanism, which could be due either to the existence of late-acting self-incompatibility or to an early action of inbreeding depression, although there are lines of evidence that seem to point to the second possibility. Hand cross-pollination led to an increased number of fruit and seeds per plant relative to the control plants, indicating that reproduction is pollen limited.Key words: late-acting self-incompatibility, prezygotic self-incompatibility, fruit set, seed set, inbreeding depression, Spain.

We studied the floral and reproductive biology of Drosophyllym lusitanicum (Droseraceae), a species endemic to the western Iberian Peninsula and northwest Morocco. Flowering lasted from March to August, peaking in April. The species is clearly homogamous, with pollen germination and stigma receptivity occurring even in preanthesis. This was reflected in the high rates of fruit set and seed set in bagged inflorescences. Fructification did not differ significantly between different pollination treatments, although we did find differences between some treatments in the numbers of viable seeds per flower and fruit. However, seed weight did not differ significantly. The importance of self‐pollination over cross‐pollination was also supported by the low percentages of fructification (24.67%) after emasculation and open pollination. Metameric deviations were seen in flowers, although this abnormality was not translated as any reproductive benefit or disadvantage (fructification, number or weight of seeds) in comparison with normal flowers.

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