Staminode
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Title
Staminode
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Definition
In the Lecythidaceae, a sterile stamen (= staminode) with pollen that does not germinate. The pollen of the yellow antherodes may serve as a reward for pollinators, especially bees. As far as we know, white anthers indicate the presence of fertile pollen and yellow antherodes indicate the presence of sterile pollen.
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Notes
In neotropical Lecythidaceae, there are two types of pollinator reward: sterile pollen and nectar. The sterile pollen is produced within the antherode of a staminode and the nectar is produced by the vestigial stamen nectaries at the apex of of the coils of species with more than one androecial coil, i.e., species of Couratari and Eschweilera. Because pollen germination has been studied only in Couroupita guianensis and Lecythis pisonis, we use the following two criteria for calling an androecial appendage a staminode: 1) the anthers and antherodes are colored differently, the former are not yellow and the latter are yellow and 2) all appendages in the hood are assumed to be staminodes.
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Related Terms
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