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 77 Passiflora behavior DHJanzen101091.jpg high resolution
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| This behavior of Passiflora flowers (I published this originally in the journal Behavior, its first plant paper) is not unique to Passiflora foetida. But, the timing varies with the pollinator. Here, a Passiflora vitifolia flower, pollinated by hummingbirds, is beginning to curve its yellow stigmas downward to be in line with the green anthers (see image DHJanzen101103.jpg below) . You know that this photograph was taken just after noon. In the morning, the stigmas were held high upright, far away from the tops of the heads of the hummingbirds visiting for nectar and getting the tops of their heads plastered with pollen. In the afternoon, after the birds have a thorough mix of pollen on their heads from many flowers, the stigmas are bent down to be pollinated (image DHJanzen101103.jpg below). | ||
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