Thursday, July 10, 2008

Calopogon tuberosus

Just for fun. Calopogon or Grass Pink is the only orchid in the
Chicago Region that carries the lip at the top (the flower lacks
resupination). Those are not stamens up there - just decorative hairs
that fool bees! (Calopogon = "beautiful beard"). When a bee lands, the
lip bends down and the back side of the bee touches the column, where
a sticky mass of pollen is attached (or hopefully, detached).

KB

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3 comments:

  1. Scott NamestnikJuly 11, 2008 at 4:07 PM

    From now on, I'm calling Keith "Calopogon," for his beautiful beard.

    Amazing photos, by the way. Can't wait for the slide show.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Justin R. ThomasJuly 14, 2008 at 10:20 AM

    The beauty of Keith's beard is only surpassed by that of Chuck Norris'.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Keith BoardJuly 14, 2008 at 9:54 PM

    ...and Rasputin.

    ReplyDelete