Gardeners love to watch flowers and pollinators. Program describes pollinator-plant associations and provides some of the botanical science of pollination mechanisms

1. Sex in the Garden …From the plant’s perspective Linda R McMahan, Extension Horticulture Oregon State University, Yamhill County Extension Service

2. Question: Define Sex Courtesy of Google sexual activity, e.g., "they had XXX in the back seat“ either of the two categories (male or female) into which most organisms are divided tell the sex (of young chickens) the properties that distinguish organisms on the basis of their reproductive roles

3. More an Australian television series that ran from 1992 to 1993 on the Nine Network an album by popular Greek artist Elli Kokkinou a 1926 play, written by, and starring, Mae West est le titre d'un livre écrit par Madonna sorti en 1992 accompagnant son neuvième album Erotica. ...

4. Our Version Plant reproduction by whatever means, with the “intention” to produce more plants!

5. Various Reproductive Strategies Cross-pollination Self-pollination Vegetative Reproduction

6. Some “Choices” for Plants Generalist vs. Specialist Many Small Seeds vs. Few Large Seeds Vegetative vs. Sexual Self-pollinated vs. Cross-fertilization Various modes of pollination and relationship to abundance of pollinators, presence of wind or water, flowering time, and so on.

7. Some Vegetative Strategies Piggyback plant – Tolmiea menziesii - produces plant “offsets” on the leaves Crocus – division of the bulbs in the ground Some others methods include underground stems such as rhizomes and tuberous stems, new plant production from underground roots or tuberous roots, bulbils, and various strategies of rooting by forms of layering, such as when plant stems bend over and a new plant grows when it touches the ground. Dune strawberry, Fragariachiloensis, reproducing by runners

8. So now ask yourself “Why do plants have flowers?” And then, “Why do plants have prettyflowers?”

9. Purpose of Flowers? “The accomplishment of fertilization is the primary function of the flower” 1907 A Textbook of Botany

10. Purpose of Flowers? Produce pollen and ovules that combine to create embryos that are dispersed in seeds

11. Flowers are “Pretty” To Attract Attention Potential pollinators Potential dispersal in other ways, such as by people in gardens and landscapes

12. Flowers are a Form of Advertising To create a “sale” to pollinators or dispersers, an offer must take place. This is usually in the form of pollen or nectar. Then the plant needs to advertise the availability of the offer – hence the flower, which sometimes produces an odor attractive to the potential pollinator. The flower must then accept “payment” from the pollinator as a method to transfer of pollen to a stigma. Bargain complete.

13. Characteristics of Wind Pollinated Flowers – The Pollinator is Not a Creature in this Case Produce large amounts of pollen, often in catkins. Pollen is small to travel on the wind. Timing takes advantage of seasonal wind patterns. Flowers may or may not be attractive, but are usually small with little color or odor. Grasses and conifers are typically wind pollinated.

14. Wind Pollination Willow – Salix species Stinging nettle, Urticadioica Western Hazelnut – Corylusnutalli Plantain, Plantago Ginkgo biloba

15. Silk tassel bush, Garryaelliptica

16. Most conifers, this juniper for examples, are wind pollinated

17. Characteristics of Bee Pollinated Flowers Typically but not always blue or yellow. Produce ample pollen and nectar. Ultraviolet coloration and nectar guides. Sweet smell and strong “center.” Have places for bees to land safely to collect the pollen and nectar. Photo of Lithodora and bee by Carolyn Devine.

18. Some Bee flowers Flannel bush, Fremontodendroncalifornicum sunflower Stream violet, Viola glabella, note nectar guides Blueblossom, Ceanothusthyrsiflorus, bees, also beetles

19. Bumblebee on snowberry, Symphoricarpos alba. Many members of the heath family, Ericaceae, are pollinated by bumblebees

20. More Examples of Ericaceae Flowers Strawberry tree, Arbutus unedo Salal, Gaultheria shallon Ghost plant, Monotropauniflora

21. More Bee Flowers Camas, Camassia Douglas aster Cat’s ear, Calochotussp.

22. More bee flowers Fairy slipper orchid, Calypso bulbosa Fritillaria Bleeding heart

23. Characteristics of Butterfly Pollinated Flowers Brightly colored – can be red Little if any odor Flower arrangements create landing platforms and places to walk around Plants with these flowers are often also hosts for the larval stage of particular butterflies

24. More Butterfly Flowers Wild carrot Yarrow, Achilleamillefolium Yellow twig dogwood Garden phlox

25. More Butterly Flowers Sedum spathulifolium Coltsfoot Ocean spray, Holodiscus discolor—also attracts other insects

26. More Butterfly Flowers Sedum ‘Autumn Joy’ Echinacea ‘White Swan’ – odor of coneflowers may have developed especially to attract butterflies

27. Characteristics of Fly Pollinated Flowers Sometimes purple, brown, brownish red, OR in other plants, white Unattractive odor, at least to humans, such as rotting meat or dung OR slightly sweet odor – Depends on intended fly Asarumcaudatum, wild ginger

28. More Fly Flowers Skunk cabbage, Lysichitonamericanum Slinkpod, Scoliopisbigelovii

29. Rubusparviflorus, thimbleberry, a “generalist” – bees, flies, beetles

30. Characteristics of Bird Pollinated Flowers Typically red, pink, or orange No odor Facilitate hovering or gathering nectar and pollen from the air Bottlebrush, pollinated by honeyeater birds in its native Australia

31. More bird flowers- hummingbirds Red flowering currant, Ribessanguineum California fuschia, Epilobiumcanum (Zauchneriacalifornica)

32. More Bird flowers Western columbine, Aquilegia formosa, also attracts other insects including spinx moth Cape fuschia, Phygelius Western bleeding heart, Dicentraformosa

33. Other pollinators Moths – typically white or flowers with “big” sweet scent that are open at night. Beetles – attracted to many flowers where pollen is readily available. Spiders occasionally. Darlingtoniacalifornicamay be pollinated by a tiny spider. A vast variety of flying insects like wasps and many forms of flies. In other parts of the world, pollinators may be bats or other mammals.

34. Guess the Pollinator Opuntia sp., prickly pear cactus

35. Guess the Pollinator Clarkia sp.

36. Cistus sp. Guess the Pollinator

37. Guess the Pollinator Camellia sasanqua

38. Guess the Pollinator Darmerapeltata, umbrella plant

39. Guess the Pollinator Iris tenax, Oregon iris

40. Guess the Pollinator Trillium ovatum

41. Guess the Pollinator Redwood sorrel, Oxalis oregana

42. Guess the Pollinator Oleander

43. Guess the Pollinator Ribesroselii

45. Agamospermy- production by plants of seeds in which the embryo is derived (without fertilization) from diploid cells of the parent.

46. Parthenogenesis - a form of reproduction in which the egg develops into a new individual without fertilization.

48. Agamospermy Includes any mechanism that produces a genetically identical seed, including Apomixes. This and similar strategies may be advantageous in disturbed habitats. Very common in Aster family, and sometimes found in roses and other plants. You cannot tell by looking at the flower.

49. Parthenogenesis Mother cell does not divide, but itself contributes the genetic identify to the seed. Apomixes, when it does not involve pollen, is considered to be a plant form of parthenogenesis.

50. Cleistogamy Individual flowers are obligate self-pollinators. They are often colorless, and do not open. Happens in many violets, peanuts and ground nuts, for example. Sometimes, like in Viola glabella, some of the flowers are insect pollinated and others, often the later ones, are self-pollinated and look very different from the insect-pollinated flowers

51. Seed Dispersal—How Seeds Get Around Once they are Formed Western hazelnut, Cornusnuttalli Western lupine, Lupinuspolyphyllus Bigleaf maple, Acer macrophyllum Techniques of dispersal vary considerably and include wind and water, consumed and transported by birds or animals, or dropping close to the parent plant. Dispersal animals include mammals, humans, ants, insects, birds, and probably many more.

52. Slinkpod, Scoliopisbigelovii– pollinated by flies but dispersal helped by slugs which often eat the edges of the pods and expose the seeds.

53. Asian pear dispersal?

54. Prickly pear cactus fruits attach to passer-by for a free ride to a new location, or because of their attractive taste and appearance, may be eaten and transported in that way

55. English ivy, dispersed by birds, but the birds often get sick in the process

56. Thank You for Coming Today! Any questions? Linda.mcmahan@oregonstate.edu

57. Time to Travel Home—Thank You