Close-up of Stanhopea sp., an orchid pollinated by euglossine bees
The flowers of orchids in the genus Stanhopea are short-lived. To attract pollinators, they send out chemical signals that resemble the pheromones produced by female euglossine bees. Male bees are attracted to the flower, climb inside, encounter a slippery area on the hypochile, and fall out of the flower. In the process, they pick up pollinia (packets of pollen) from the column, and/or they deposit pollinia they have carried from another flower on the style. Stanhopea plants are native to Central and South America. This is a greenhouse specimen.
Size: 3367px × 5050px
Location: Massachusetts, United States
Photo credit: © Custom Life Science Images / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: background, bee, black, bloom, blooms, epiphyte, epiphytes, euglossine, flower, flowers, hypochile, islc, monocot, monocots, orchid, orchidaceae, orchids, pheromone, pheromones, plain, plant, plants, pollinated, pollination, stanhopea, trick, trickery, tricks
