Glossary Details – French Guianan E-Flora Project

Glossary Details:

Heteranthery in Corythophora. Photos by S. A. Mori.

Fodder pollen of Lecythis pisonis. Photos by M. Nee (Top) and C. A. Gracie (bottom).

Androecial hood: Lecythis persistens subsp. persistens-type. Photos by S. A. Mori.

Title: Fertile and fodder pollen of Couroupita guianensis. Photo by L. E. Gámez Alvarez.

Description: Androecium of Couroupita guianensis. The fertile pollen is found in the staminal ring and the fodder pollen is found in the androecial hood. In this species, the presence of fodder pollen is indicated by the yellow color at the apex of the staminodial filament. In most species with fodder pollen, the antherodes of the staminodes are yellow. In C. guianensis it is the yellow at the apex of the filaments of the staminodes that attracts bees. Note that the anthers of stamens in the staminal ring are white.

Term:

Fodder pollen

Definition:

Pollen that does not germinate and serves as a pollinator reward. This has been demonstrated in Couroupita guianensis and Lecythis pisonis (Mori et al., 1980) and is hypothesized for other species that appear to have staminodes on the inside of a flat hood or in stamens on the ligular side of the staminal ring.