Pollination Biology of the Endangered Herbal Medicines Dendrobium chrysotoxum (Orchidaceae)
Kai Luo, Yanbing Bai, Yan Jiang, Guiling Li, Min Jia, Yongguo He, Zhijun Yao, Ziwei Xiao, Xiaoqiong Liu, Wenjie Liu, Shanshan Yin, Zesheng Li
Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany, Vol.92, No.7, pp. 1975-1986, 2023, DOI:10.32604/phyton.2023.028232
(This article belongs to the Special Issue:
Plant–Environment Interactions)
Abstract Pollination biology studies of the endangered herbal medicines
Dendrobium chrysotoxum were conducted in natural pollination conditions using flower observation, pollinator observation and artificial pollination experiments. Populations of
D. chrysotoxum with fragrance and nectar were pollinated by
Ctenoplectra davidi Valhalla (Hymenoptera: Apidae) species. The floral structure of
D. chrysotoxum adapted precisely to its pollinators. Flowers had a low capsule setting (0.17%) under natural conditions. However, compared to open pollination, artificial pollination experiments showed a significant increase in capsule setting, and
D. chrysotoxum was cross-compatible and self-compatible, but there was pollinator limitation also. This study will provide important information for the preservation
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