Date: Wed, 10 Jun 1998 13:39:48 -0400 From: Jack Sullivan <jsulliva@eclipse.net> To: cp@opus.hpl.hp.com Message-Id: <aabcdefg1977$foo@default> Subject: Insects and Flowers by Friedrich G. Barth
I picked up a copy of this excellent book (subtitled "The Biology of a
Partnership" recently at a Barnes & Noble.
This is a tremendous reference on flower anatomy and biology and the
myriad mechanisms that Nature has developed to ensure pollination.
One interesting aspect is the approach taken: Barth is Professor of
Zooology at the Univ. of Vienna.
With specific regard to cacti & other succulents, Barth limits his
discussion to Stapelia, with a full-color plate of a visiting fly
attracted by the carrion odor of the meat-red bloom. The discussion of
the pollination mechanism is dealt with only superficially: "Flies
gather in large numbers on what they evidently take for carrion and lay
their eggs, preferring the middle of the flower." (For those interested
in getting a more complete picture of the pollination mechanism involved
in the asclepiads, see the recently published paper by Iztok Mulej in
Asklepios 73 (1998) and references cited therein, including Jerry
Barad's monumental study in the Cactus & Succulent Journal 62, 130-140
(1990).
No coverage is given to insectivorous plants, but there is quite a bit
on the numerous mechanisms found in insect trapping plants (where the
outcome is more positive for the insect.) There is also nothing
specifically relating to the bromeliads.
I reccommend this paperback title ($16.95) to anyone interested in plant
flower biology. While somewhat technical, there is plenty of "meat" to
chew on. (Princeton University Press 1991. ISBN 0-691-02523-1).
-- Jack Sullivan
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