Rainy Far-Eastern Purple. Korean Cranesbill, Geranium koraiense Nakai, Hortus Botanicus, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
In 1911, Takenoshin Nakai (1882-1952) described this pretty purple Cranesbill from Korea in The Botanical Magazine, Tokyo. But until the present its name is listed in the WCSP (World Checklist of Selected Plant Families, administered by the famed Kew Gardens), as 'unresolved'. I'm not sure why but it may be that there isn't a good herbarium exemplar; in any case, the data on it were supplied to The Plant List in 2012. The Hortus Botanicus here in Amsterdam designates it as Geranium koraiense Nakai.
Looking at this pretty flower, I was especially struck by it's fine 'nectar lines' - as my High School science teacher called them - which, I understand, today must be called 'floral guides'. That's because they 'lead' insects not only to the well-spring of nectar itself but also to stalked pollen. Thinking about this I was led back to 1793 to read Christian Konrad Sprengel's (1750-1816) Das Entdeckte Geheimnis der Natur im Bau und der Befruchtung der Blumen (how grateful I am to books on-line on the internet!). He's the first to discuss those 'floral guides' (he calls them 'Saft-male'). Great Charles Darwin, among others, followed Sprengel's cue and there's today a large literature on the subject. Among the many things I learned is that these flower markings show up strongly under UV-light, and that this enhances Insects' maps to their nutrients
Rainy Far-Eastern Purple. Korean Cranesbill, Geranium koraiense Nakai, Hortus Botanicus, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
In 1911, Takenoshin Nakai (1882-1952) described this pretty purple Cranesbill from Korea in The Botanical Magazine, Tokyo. But until the present its name is listed in the WCSP (World Checklist of Selected Plant Families, administered by the famed Kew Gardens), as 'unresolved'. I'm not sure why but it may be that there isn't a good herbarium exemplar; in any case, the data on it were supplied to The Plant List in 2012. The Hortus Botanicus here in Amsterdam designates it as Geranium koraiense Nakai.
Looking at this pretty flower, I was especially struck by it's fine 'nectar lines' - as my High School science teacher called them - which, I understand, today must be called 'floral guides'. That's because they 'lead' insects not only to the well-spring of nectar itself but also to stalked pollen. Thinking about this I was led back to 1793 to read Christian Konrad Sprengel's (1750-1816) Das Entdeckte Geheimnis der Natur im Bau und der Befruchtung der Blumen (how grateful I am to books on-line on the internet!). He's the first to discuss those 'floral guides' (he calls them 'Saft-male'). Great Charles Darwin, among others, followed Sprengel's cue and there's today a large literature on the subject. Among the many things I learned is that these flower markings show up strongly under UV-light, and that this enhances Insects' maps to their nutrients