Date: Tue, 10 Jun 1997 20:48:19 From: SCHLAUER@chemie.uni-wuerzburg.de To: cp@opus.hpl.hp.com Message-Id: <aabcdefg2268$foo@default> Subject: Re: Glandular flower stalks
Dear Paul,
> I, like some others, have found that sticky flower stalks are quite
> interesting. It seems almost counterproductive since any potential
> pollinators would be trapped.
No, not *all* potential pollinators. The creatures that get trapped
are only those which try to *crawl* up the stalk, so they would
pollinate all the flowers of one inflorescence (one individual, i.e.
self the plant) first before they would visit another individual.
*This* would be counterproductive because it would have at the most
the effect of vegetative reproduction for the expense of all that is
involved in flower formation.
Effective pollinators (which change the inflorescence, i.e.
the individuals visited more frequently) approach the flowers
by air (butterflies, bees, flies), so they will not be trapped.
> But as Dave Evans pointed out, most of the
> pollinators only land on the flowers.
This is the very point, indeed.
> What other reason then for the
> sticky glands on the stalks since they don't play a digestive role?
To keep the nasty crawlers away from the precious flowers.
Kind regards
Jan
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