aristolochia

[Rick]

I had a couple of spent blooms of gigantea to open. No hairs or flies inside.

A tight little group of anther like structures protrudes from the ovary end of the stem, but I didn't fold any back to see what the shape of the stigma was underneath.

This is pretty interesting as it seems like for efficient pollination a flie must bumble around inside the flower for a couple of days to collect pollen and after release, it goes into a fresher one and bumbles around for another couple of days.

 

[Trithor]

It is kind of interesting (that or paph growers are obsessed with doing puzzles) I will cut a couple of blooms and post some pics in the morning. I am sure if you dissect a fresh gigantea bloom, you will find the hairs that I am referring to. They all but disappear when the bloom is spent.

 

[Rick]

It is kind of interesting (that or paph growers are obsessed with doing puzzles) I will cut a couple of blooms and post some pics in the morning. I am sure if you dissect a fresh gigantea bloom, you will find the hairs that I am referring to. They all but disappear when the bloom is spent.

Maybe paph growers are just generally obsessed!

My gigantea may be played out for the season. I couldn't find any developing buds. But I'll keep my eyes open from more.

Given the flower face is 6-8 inches across, I was surprised to find the neck seemed to shrink down to maybe a 1/4 inch or so in these old spent flowers. There were some short coarse hairs in the neck, but they didn't seem like an impediment.