Scientist discover self-procreating orchid (AP) Updated: 2006-06-21 15:50
BANGKOK, Thailand - For one type of orchid in China, procreating is a
lonely affair.
Rather than depending on insects or even the wind for
pollination, scientist have discovered that the orchid Holcoglossum amesianum
actually fertilizes itself, according to a report in this week's Nature.
The orchid defies gravity to twist the male part of its flower into the
necessary shape to fertilize the female one, a team led by Huang
Laiqiang of Tsinghua University found.
The plant does so without
the help of sticky fluids or other methods used by self-pollinating plants to
ensure that the pollen reaches the egg, Huang reported. This makes it a new
method of pollination, he said.
The team studied more than 1,900 flowers
of this species, which grows on tree trunks in China's Yunnan province and
flowers during the dry, windless months of February to April.
The orchid
produces no scent or nectar, and the researchers did not see a single instance
of pollination by an insect or by wind. Instead, the pollen-bearing anther
uncovers itself and rotates into a suitable position to insert into the stigma
cavity, where fertilization takes place.
This sexual relationship is so
exclusive that flowers do not even transfer pollen to other flowers on the same
plant, researchers found.
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