Title
Bignonia corymbosa (Bignonieae, Bignoniaceae): A plant who deceives their floral visitors
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2011
Volume Number
3
Source Publication
The International Journal of Plant Reproductive Biology
Abstract
The lack of a nectar disc in representatives of some lineages of Bignonieae (Bignoniaceae) has led to the suggestion that deceit pollination might be present in those taxa. Here, we studied Bignonia corymbosa, and tested whether this species presents a deceit pollination system. For that, we examined: (1) nectar production, (2) the reproductive biology of B. corymbosa, (3) the importance of selected flower traits for the attraction of flower visitors, and (4) the effect of floral display for the frequency of floral visits to B. corymbosa. As expected, no evidence of nectar production was found. We further determined that B. corymbosa is self-incompatible and employs a generalized deception strategy, with petals representing an important cue for the attraction of floral visitors. Xylocopinae and Apis mellifera were found to represent the main potential pollinators. We conclude that B. corymbosa presents all characteristics that are necessary to support a deceptive strategy as a pollination mechanism.