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Evaluation · Q59

Q.Explain the pollination mechanism in Salvia.

Tamil Nadu DgeTextbookSubjectiveImportance★★★★★
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Step 1. The Salvia flower is protandrous, with a bilabiate (two-lipped) corolla and just two stamens, adapted specifically for bee pollination.

Step 2. Each anther has an upper fertile lobe and a lower sterile lobe, separated by a long connective, which allows the anther to swing freely - like a lever pivoted at its centre.

Step 3. When a bee visits the flower for nectar, it lands on the lower lip (which acts as a landing platform) and pushes its head into the corolla; in doing so, its body strikes against the sterile end of the connective.

Step 4. This strike makes the fertile part of the stamen descend and strike the back of the bee, depositing pollen there. …

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