Premium
FLORAL BIOLOGY OF MAGNOLIA
Author(s) -
Thien Leonard B.
Publication year - 1974
Publication title -
american journal of botany
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.218
H-Index - 151
eISSN - 1537-2197
pISSN - 0002-9122
DOI - 10.1002/j.1537-2197.1974.tb12321.x
Subject(s) - biology , pollination , petal , nectar , pollen , botany , stamen , pollinator
The floral biology of eight species of Magnolia native to the United States is described. The flowers are protogynous. They are pollinated by several species of beetles that enter buds as well as closed and open flowers to feed on nectar, stigmas, pollen, and secretions of the petals. Individual flowers persist from two to four days and undergo a series of petal, stigma, and stamen movements that assure pollination by beetles. It is suggested that the flowers of Magnolia are highly specialized for exclusive pollination by beetles. These specialization mechanisms produce large quantities of food for the beetles and deny other types of insects (bees, moths, etc.) access to the flowers at critical stages in the pollination process, i.e., when stigmas are mature and pollen is shed.