Data from: Phenological patterns in Mediterranean south Iberian serpentine flora

Phenological phases, as adaptive strategies, have been studied in
Mediterranean serpentine shrubland vegetation and their endemisms, in the
South of the Iberian Peninsula. The aim of this research is to obtain the
phenological characterization of the serpentine flora and to make a
comparison between endemic serpentine and non‐serpentine plants in
different years and altitudes. For this purpose, data were taken in the
serpentine ecosystem of Sierra Bermeja (Andalusia, Spain) establishing two
plots on two altitudinal bioclimatic belts and during two different years.
A total of 28 persistent taxa were studied, focusing on serpentinophytes,
their allied (magnesicolous) and non‐serpentinophytes, trying to detect
the possible differences between serpentine endemic taxa and non‐endemic
plants. Phenological calendars and phenological patterns (phenophasic
indexes) were obtained. The species showed phenophasic patterns similar to
those of other studied Mediterranean flora: a phenological pause which
coincides with summer and most plants behaved as summer semi‐deciduous
with seasonal dimorphism. There were no statistically significant
differences in phenology and in phenological indexes due to the altitude,
to the year of sampling and due to the serpentine affinity. The best
represented active phenophasic period of the species was 9‐11 months of
activity although showing the summer phenological pause. Species with low
index of reproductive/vegetative activity of the species predominated,
employing more time/resources for vegetative functions, and with
synchronous phenophases, where flowering and growth coincide (phenophasic
pattern type I). The phenophasic period of serpentinophytes and
magnesicolous taxa pointed to a certain delay in the period of flowering
with respect to the group of non‐serpentinophytes, a result which could
have reproductive implications.