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Catasetum fimbriatum

Catasetum fimbriatum
Photo: Orchi, CC BY-SA 3.0
Family
Orchidaceae (Orchid family)
Grows as
Orchid
Native range
S. Trop. America
Climate
seasonally dry tropical

About

Catasetum fimbriatum, the fringed catasetum, is a member of the orchid family of flowering plants and lives in a warm tropical environment. This plant uses a fascinating strategy to spread its pollen to other flowers via insects, primarily bees. When a pollinator lands on male flowers of C. fimbriatum and stimulates them, pollen is planted onto the back of the pollinator. This assures their gametes will be spread to other flowers the bee visits of the same species.

The mechanism behind how male C. fimbriatum ejects its pollen onto bees is still not well understood. However, kinetic studies have been done. When a bee lands on the flower this stimulates the antennae triggering a quick change in membrane potential. This propagates an action potential that results in an increase in turgor pressure.

Other Catasetum plants

Lustrous black Catasetum · Bearded Catasetum · Catasetum callosum · Nodding Catasetum · Catasetum cristatum · Catasetum deltoideum · Catasetum discolor · Expansive Catasetum · Catasetum fuchsii · Catasetum galeritum · Spheroid-flowered Catasetum · Catasetum hookeri

Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Catasetum fimbriatum by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts are shared under the same licence.

Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.

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