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Pollination biology of the endangered orchid Cypripedium japonicum in a fragmented forest of J apan
Author(s) -
Suetsugu Kenji,
Fukushima Shigeki
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
plant species biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.419
H-Index - 36
eISSN - 1442-1984
pISSN - 0913-557X
DOI - 10.1111/1442-1984.12016
Subject(s) - pollinator , pollination , biology , outcrossing , orchidaceae , endangered species , hand pollination , population , open pollination , ecology , botany , habitat , pollen , demography , sociology
Abstract Pollination biology studies of the endangered orchid Cypripedium japonicu m were conducted in its natural habitat using pollinator observation and hand‐pollination experiments. The observed fruit set was as follows: artificial outcross‐pollinated, 100%; artificial self‐pollinated, 100%; pollinator‐excluded, 0%; and emasculated flowers, 0%. These results show that this species, although self‐compatible, is neither autogamous nor agamospermous. The fruit set for open‐pollinated flowers was 14.9%, which suggests that the study population was subject to pollinator limitation. The nectarless flowers of C. japonicum were exclusively visited and pollinated by the queens of two bumblebee species ( Bombus ardens and B. diversus diversus ). It is probable that the nectarless flowers of C. japonicum attract pollinators through a generalized food deceptive system.