Hermannia joubertiana pollinators small or long-tongued

The pendulous flowers of Hermannia joubertiana have spirally twisted petals, characteristic of Hermannia. The small flower mouth looks dark amidst the five golden-yellow petals in the photo.

The petal arrangement leaves only a tiny entrance for pollinators, allowing them access on a selective basis. In nature body size or shape of feeding organs may serve as barriers to entry, like theatre or sports stadium tickets… if you can’t reach, you don’t share.

Functional sculpting of specialised plant and insect organ shapes, a slow, harshly selective co-evolution of moth or butterfly proboscis aligned with flower structure, results in specific forms found among nature’s feeding-cum-pollination solutions (Privett and Lutzeyer, 2010; iNaturalist; JSTOR).