Friday, January 29, 2010

Pollinate Me

I bet most of you don't know this: the red powderpuff plant (Calliandra haematocephala) belongs to the family of Moth-Flowered plants, meaning they are pollinated by flying insects such as moths, butterflies, bees etc... The fecundity in these Xenogamous plants depends in part to the interaction between their flowers and the pollinators. Multiple visits are often required to transfer enough pollen to achieve maximum fecundity. This plant has many fruits already and I have watched this one for a while today. There are a few bees buzzing around and busy at work at this particular flower. I am sure the multiple visits requirement has been met. I wonder if it will become a fruit, and when.

Busy Bee

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