besseae pollination

[silence882]

I forget where, but I remember a thread about besseae pollination where someone (Zach?) thought hummingbirds might be involved. While reading some AOS articles I stumbled across the following:

"Stig Dalstrom found the species at three more sites in Ecuador, including the Rio Cuyes population, and reported visits by hummingbirds to the flowers. All of those have flowers essentially the same as the Peru and Paute populations."

Source: Dodson, C.H. "Phragmipedium besseae, Discovery of the Species." American Orchid Society Bulletin 61, no. 12 (Dec 1992): 1214-18.

--Stephen

 

[kentuckiense]

Yep, that was me. Thanks for the exerpt.

I still don't quite get how it would work. Are the anthers at an angle that would deposit the pollinia onto the bird beak? Assuming the beak entered through the labellum orifice, that is. Maybe they enter through the basal orifices? I have no idea.

The besseae pouch just doesn't strike me as being good at insect deception and detention. I obviously have no evidence to back that claim up, just a personal opinion.

 

[Kyle]

Just because the hummingbirds visit doesn't mean they are the pollenator.

 

[kentuckiense]

Just because the hummingbirds visit doesn't mean they are the pollenator.

Oh, I wasn't trying to imply that.

 

[Rick]

Yep, that was me. Thanks for the exerpt.

I still don't quite get how it would work. Are the anthers at an angle that would deposit the pollinia onto the bird beak? Assuming the beak entered through the labellum orifice, that is. Maybe they enter through the basal orifices? I have no idea.

The besseae pouch just doesn't strike me as being good at insect deception and detention. I obviously have no evidence to back that claim up, just a personal opinion.

I don't think the structure is all that different from all the cyp (and parvi paph) species with narrow openings that attract bees.

 

[Lars Pedersen]

Hi

I knowing this is a very old thread, but I Can add that hummingbirds vist everything that is red.

Last hear in Ecuador my daughter was wearing a red jacket one day, and mang times the hummingbirds came very close to investigate if she in fact was a Big waliking flower

But I agree, in no way they can polinate the flowers.

But have anyone ever seen an insect come out with polinia in its back ?


Lars

 

[John Boy]

from a standpoint of evolution/creation or whatever: It would be pretty useless to create a flower with a pouch, which then isn't being used as a "trap" for escaping trough the backdoor pollinators...

Just as a out of the box thought.

 

[Rick]

from a standpoint of evolution/creation or whatever: It would be pretty useless to create a flower with a pouch, which then isn't being used as a "trap" for escaping trough the backdoor pollinators...

Just as a out of the box thought.

Yes and humingbird pollinated flowers are often stereotypically structured as fairly long tubular flowers.

Some have speculated that Dendrobium cuthbertsonii is more the model for nectar feeding bird pollination for 2 reasons. The shape(structure) and high elevation cool growing habitat where warm blooded animals are more active than insects.