Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Who knows about the plant I know as crab claws? Latin name stylidium macranthum.Has ink or white flowers?

Try this, Hope it helps.


http://sherwincarlquist.com/new-species-...





Eighth photo down.


The amazing flower of Stylidium and how it works. Appendages or colorful markings in the throat attract a Comptosia fly and guide it to nectar which is borne in the corolla tube. While feeding, the fly triggers the column it, which in the case of this species S. crossocephalum), hits the fly on its back. The first day that a Stylidium flower is open, the four anthers at the tip of the column are capable of shedding pollen, which thus gets dusted on the fly鈥檚 back when the column is triggered. The column then repoises and is capable of being triggered a second time. The second time, the stigma tends to be grown out from among the anthers, and forms a cushion that can pick up the pollen from an insect鈥檚 back: that is the stage shown in this photograph.


No comments:

Post a Comment