Structure of Clitoria (Blue Pea) Flower
MUST USE THIS EXAMPLE!
- flower is bisexual!
-
Flower has 5 green sepals
-
Petals
- Flower has 5 brightly coloured petals of diff. sizes and shapes.
- Large, deep blue petals → has lines on it → that guide insects to where nectar is located.
- lines are called nectar guides.
- Stamen
- Flower has stamens with long filaments
- Nectar, secreted by flower → collects at bottom of stamen trough
- Thus nectar can be reached only by insect → with long tubular mouth, or proboscis → e.g. bee or butterfly
- Carpel
- Carpel (Pistil) → consists of following structures:
- Stigma: small and compact, located at the end of the style
- Style: long, curved, hairy structure
- Ovary: long, narrow with single row of ovules
Pollination of Clitoria
- When insect such as bee → visits flower → it lands on petal
- Insect follows nectar guide → into flower
- Insect forces its way and moves in to collect nectar
- As insect moves in → stigma and anthers → brush against hairy back of the insect. At same time → pollen grains on insects back (from another flower which the insect visited earlier) → transferred to sticky stigma
- Although flower is well adapted for insect pollination → self pollination can still occur