An overview of the biological properties of volatile compounds - examples from the South African flora

G.P.P. Kamatou, A.M. Viljoen, S.F. Van Vuuren
2009 South African Journal of Botany  
prise open one of these tepals, clamber into the flower with their legs around the style, and receive pollen on the dorsal surface of their thorax from one of the primary anthers. When entering another flower, this pollen is deposited on the glandular hood of the inner tepal being prised open. The pollen germinates and penetrates the style only when the flower wilts and the tepal hoods are appressed against the stigma. Megachilid (leafcutter) bees are apparently the most important pollinators
more » ... Albuca species; this was confirmed by experiments involving virgin flowers in which we found that megachilids deposited and removed more pollen grains per visit than did honeybees. We also established that pollen transfer in Albuca populations is generally more efficient than in plants with conventional stigmatic pollen receipt. The floral conservatism in the genus Albuca apparently reflects the dedicated function of the inner tepals for mechanically filtering flower visitors, protecting the primary anthers from pollencollecting insects, and transferring pollen to the stigma.
doi:10.1016/j.sajb.2009.02.067 fatcat:hiwirienz5gxpehd5g2fctmd3a