Abstract
Solitary bees (Halictus sp.) were found to be the effective pollinators of Cephalanthera longifolia. In the same foraging flight the bees also visit flowers of Cistus salviifolius which has a similar colour pattern. Cephalanthera offers no reward to its pollinators, but orange papillae on its labellum successfully imitate pollen of Cistus. As Cephalanthera also attracts pollinators in the absence of Cistus, this is regarded as "facultative floral mimicry".
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 229-240 |
| Number of pages | 12 |
| Journal | Plant Systematics and Evolution |
| Volume | 137 |
| Issue number | 4 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Dec 1981 |
Keywords
- Angiosperms
- Cephalanthera longifolia
- Cistaceae
- Cistus salviifolius
- Flower biology and ecology
- Halictus
- Hymenoptera
- Orchidaceae
- floral mimicry
- pollen imitation
- pollination
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics
- Plant Science