Tritonia securigera subsp. securigera flower

    Tritonia securigera subsp. securigera flower
    Author: Ivan Lätti
    Photographer: Judd Kirkel Welwitch

    Three bright yellow, flat protrusions, crests or teeth are erect on the lobe bases of the three lower tepals of a Tritonia securigera subsp. securigera flower.

    They are more conspicuous than the stamens and style, sure to attract pollinator attention as nectar guides, benefiting the important gender parts next to them in the rough and tumble that allow fruit to grow. The pollinators of these flowers are often honeybees that clamber over the teeth called calli, a Latin word meaning calluses.

    The three narrowly oblong anthers are nearly black here, sometimes purple and paler. They curve up at their pointed tips. The three style branches are pale, broadening slightly to their curved down tips. Style and stamens are positioned close to the inside of the dorsal tepal (Vlok and Schutte-Vlok, 2015; Manning, 2009; iNaturalist; https://www.pacificbulbsociety.org).

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