Salvia lanceolata style abandoned by its corolla

    Salvia lanceolata style abandoned by its corolla
    Author: Ivan Lätti
    Photographer: Francelle van Zyl

    The fast-disappearing Salvia lanceolata corolla may on occasion leave its long style conspicuously exposed in undue departure haste. White and elegantly curving, the same curve the lost corolla once displayed, it ends in two unequal style lobes with stigmas at their tips.

    Bees and other insects usually visit the flower when the corolla is still intact. The hinges on the filaments allow bending of the stamens for anthers to touch insects. Pollen transfer is thus mechanically enhanced (Manning, 2009; Le Roux, et al, 2005; Leistner, (Ed.), 2000; Manning and Goldblatt, 1996; Bond and Goldblatt, 1984; iNaturalist; https://pza.sanbi.org).

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