Partridge berry is a vine that doesn't climb but creeps along the forest floor. Looks like a simple enough plant until you understand how it reproduces. This plant practises a form of heteromorphism called distyly. There are always two flowers that come from a common calyx. Both flowers have to be pollinated in order for one fruit to be produced. So that the two flowers don't pollinate each other, flowers on these plants come in two varieties and a process involving genes and proteins in the plant assure that only cross-pollination results in production of a bright red berry. This is the 2012 Wildflower of the Year. Don't know who makes these determinations but it's a factoid I have tucked away for the next time I need to make polite conversation. (Since I don't know anything about Justin Bieber, Thunder - Heat, or rap music.)
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
Partridge Berry Flowers
Partridge berry is a vine that doesn't climb but creeps along the forest floor. Looks like a simple enough plant until you understand how it reproduces. This plant practises a form of heteromorphism called distyly. There are always two flowers that come from a common calyx. Both flowers have to be pollinated in order for one fruit to be produced. So that the two flowers don't pollinate each other, flowers on these plants come in two varieties and a process involving genes and proteins in the plant assure that only cross-pollination results in production of a bright red berry. This is the 2012 Wildflower of the Year. Don't know who makes these determinations but it's a factoid I have tucked away for the next time I need to make polite conversation. (Since I don't know anything about Justin Bieber, Thunder - Heat, or rap music.)
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1 comment:
Did you find these out in your woods?
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