Leucospermum oleifolium long, thin styles

A close look reveals the dainty, delicate nature of a Leucospermum oleifolium flowerhead. The thin styles are tipped with tiny, tapering pollen presenters, orange-brown in colour, later to ripen as stigmas.

In the younger flowerhead in the photo about half of the styles are still curved back sharply, their pollen presenters still caught in the tips of the perianth segments where pollen offloads upon the sticky stigma surfaces have to be completed.

Not being functional stigmas yet, the erect pollen presenters are now not receptive to their own florets pollen. To help matters along, they hold the male component of seed production, the pollen, up there at the ready, for smearing onto nectar seeking passersby.

No consciousness is available to worry or hope that these alien visitors will deliver the pollen in the right place. Only the nectar reward keeps the service providers active, doing multiple flower visits until theyve eaten enough and have become pollen-dirty enough.

Species that face much risk in the chain of reproductive events often survive by preparing overabundance or by booster measures for dealing with tricky aspects. In Leucospermum the woman’s work is never finished, every time also contributing to fulfilling the mans part of the fruit production chores.

And timing is such a big issue in reproduction. Chance will favour those that multiply the number of opportunities, that prepare for many rolls of the dice... the way to go for all those that don’t know the statistics for doing just enough (Bean and Burman, 1985; Eliovson, 1967; www.protea.worldonline.co.za).