Open Access

ARTICLE

Pollination Biology of the Endangered Herbal Medicines Dendrobium chrysotoxum (Orchidaceae)

Kai Luo¹, Yanbing Bai¹, Yan Jiang¹, Guiling Li¹, Min Jia¹, Yongguo He¹, Zhijun Yao¹, Ziwei Xiao¹, Xiaoqiong Liu¹, Wenjie Liu², Shanshan Yin^1,*, Zesheng Li^1,*

1 Medicinal Plant Research Center, Dehong Tropical Agriculture Research Institute of Yunnan, Ruili, 678600, China
2 Human Resources Management Office, The People’s Hospital of Xiangyun, Xiangyun, 672100, China

* Corresponding Authors: Shanshan Yin. Email: ; Zesheng Li. Email:

(This article belongs to the Special Issue: Plant–Environment Interactions)

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany 2023, 92(7), 1975-1986. https://doi.org/10.32604/phyton.2023.028232

Received 06 December 2022; Accepted 27 February 2023; Issue published 29 May 2023

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 of this endangered species.

---

Keywords

---