FLORAL ATTRACTION AND FLORAL HAIRS IN THE COMMELINACEAE

Commelinaceae flowers are visited mainly by a great variety of bees and syrphid flies. A buzz mechanism associated with poricidal anthers is the most specialized pollination system reported. From a distance, inflorescences and associated structures may attract pollinators visually. At close range, the corolla is almost always showy, and sometimes the calyx is also conspicuous. The androecium is attractive because it produces pollen, the only reward supplied by the flower. Yellow, nearly pollenless anthers, antherodes, hairs, and broad connectives may deceptively attract insects. Floral odors may also attract pollinators. They are taxonomically widespread but uncommon in the family. None have been investigated chemically and a role in pollination has not been demonstrated. Floral hairs related to pollination are largely confined to the androecium and occur widely in the family. Their function may include attracting insects to the flowers (either toward or away from the main source of pollen), providing footholds, retaining fallen pollen, and determining how insects behave on the flower, including how they collect pollen.