Abstract
Eichhornia azurea is a tristylous species of Pontederiaceae. Moderate self-incompatibility accompanies the floral heteromorphism of this species.Eichhornia azurea is almost exclusively visited by one bee species,Ancyloscelis gigas (Anthophoridae), in South Brazil. This species has an extremely long proboscis covered with recurved hairs. Bees use these hairs to collect pollen from the anthers placed inside the narrow perianth tube ofE. azurea. Analyses of the pollen load ofA. gigas females show that they are flower constant and carry pollen from all three anther levels. The behavior ofA. gigas and its proboscis morphology make this bee species narrowly adapted and an effective pollinator for facilitating legitimate pollination ofE. azurea flowers in southern Brazil.
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Alves Dos Santos, I., Wittmann, D. Legitimate pollination of the tristylous flowers ofEichhornia azurea (Pontederiaceae) byAncyloscelis gigas bees (Anthophoridae, Apoidea). Pl Syst Evol 223, 127–137 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00985274
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00985274