Hook On A Feeling
Tibouchina urvilleana flower aka Princess flower, Glory bush , purple Glory bush, Glory tree or Glory flower.
Taken at the Melbourne Botanical Gardens.
The sickle shaped stamens are very unusual in appearance , in fact there are 2 stamens.
The lower, claw-shaped ones are the genuine article, producing pollen that is squeezed out of a pore in their tip when they are pushed downwards.
But the upper ones with pale tips are sterile 'food' stamens that attract bees. ( The focus here is on the pale tips...you can see a tiny insect next to it on the leftmost stamen , best viewed enlarged ).
They use the pollen- bearing stamens as a landing pad and unwittingly transport the pollen.
Many thanks for your visit, comments, invites and faves...it is always appreciated..
Happy Sunday
Hook On A Feeling
Tibouchina urvilleana flower aka Princess flower, Glory bush , purple Glory bush, Glory tree or Glory flower.
Taken at the Melbourne Botanical Gardens.
The sickle shaped stamens are very unusual in appearance , in fact there are 2 stamens.
The lower, claw-shaped ones are the genuine article, producing pollen that is squeezed out of a pore in their tip when they are pushed downwards.
But the upper ones with pale tips are sterile 'food' stamens that attract bees. ( The focus here is on the pale tips...you can see a tiny insect next to it on the leftmost stamen , best viewed enlarged ).
They use the pollen- bearing stamens as a landing pad and unwittingly transport the pollen.
Many thanks for your visit, comments, invites and faves...it is always appreciated..
Happy Sunday