THE PALMETTO, Winter 1990, Page 3

Th~Upside-Down Flower "Each nature fragment by Jose E. Godts has its mystery and its beauty, its logic For several years, I have enjoyed my morning stroll and my indulgence in the and its explanation:' obse rvation of beautifu I Iight-pu rple Dr. G.Y. Legros, flowers in the spring and early in "La vie de J.H. Fabre, Naturalist" summer. The 1Yz" diameter flowers are keel and wings c5 en not fragrant and their beauty is of but a m day's duration, but the flower's abun• standard as wasps and ants. The flowers of Cen• dance compensates for its short life. trosema showed no signs of honey pool The 's name is butterfly pea (Cen• violation by hole drilling by such insects trosema virginianum) and, to my limited biting holes to reach the pool. Further in• knowledge, three of its relatives with spection revealed that the sepals of the very similar characteristics are also living calix were very sticky and, as such, in central Florida: 1. Centrosema would discourage "unlawful" acts. The arenicola (= C. floridanum), 2. C/itoria insects have no drilling platform to fragrans, and 3. C/itoria mariana. operate from. A noticeable characteristic of these Much more has to be learned about is that their flowers are always the relation of these flowers and the oriented upside-down. The fabaceae bumblebee, such as where the bee's ("Ieguminosae" in most of the world's habitat is in relation to the plant's habitat, botanical communities) have normally because, if we want to save one, the their standard on top of the flower and other has to be saved also. the keel at the bottom. The Cen• From the available literature, it appears trosemae and Clitoriae of Florida run that the bee lives in rabbit burrows and their flower petiole away from, then burrowing owl furrows. In this neighbor• under, the mai n stem, so asto invert the hood, the furrows have been bulldozed flower and havetheir standard at the bot• morning, the sun was barely above the during the last decade. In the areawhere tom and their keel at the top. far tree tops when a large bumblebee I found Centrosema, according to old came to the flowers, flying from one to timers the bees were much more num• Keel: In a pea flower, the two the next. The insect, Bombus penn• erous than today, and the plants bore lowest petals united along their sylvanicus, landed every time on the many more seeds. The seed pods are lower margins. standard, then with its powerful back now scarce, and the housing develop• Standard: The upper petal or pushed up the flower keel well above its ment has destroyed practically all wild banner of a pea flower. body, and penetrated the flower to reach habitats for the bumblebees, including the honey pool. At the same time the the other honey-producing, bumblebee• Once I had observed that the flower stamen and the pistil were uncovered visited plants such as citrus trees. inversion was a generalized character• and rubbed the hairy back surface of the The butterfly pea is now uncommon istic, my curiosity was aroused. I sat on bee's body, loading it with pollen. in central Florida, although it was fre• a nearby garbage can and tried to figu re Re-examination of the flower disclos• quent 25 years ago when I began my Floridian botanical interest. Cement sur• out the "why': It was seven dclock in the ed that the cu rvature of the and roeci um morning, and after about an hour I could and the gynoecium (stamen and pistil) faces and nicely kept lawns are not ade• no longer find a comfortable position on were very adequately curved and com• quate for bumblebees to live. Many the garbage can, and my patience pletely independent of the keel, which similar life mysteries have to be in• evaporated. was freely raised to expose them. These vestigated if we want some wi Id beauties Back at home, I consulted Common features discourage feebler insects such to survive, and adequate steps must be as bees, or long proboscis insects such taken to protect all related Angiosperm Families, Part I, the work of envi ron ments. Wendy Zomlefer, in detail, but with the as moths and butterflies, which could book upside down. In the drawing it is not fertilize the flowers. The heavy Jose Codts studied biology at the striking that the flower nectary is just relative weight of the bu mblebee is also Brussels University in Belgium, specializ• above a fold in the base of the standard, responsible, in all logic, for the upside• ing in malacology, mycology, and and thus results in a honey pool (don't down position of the flower because in specific moss generae. He received a forget that you must look at the the top position the standard cannot Ph.D. in nuclear science from Brussels reference with the book upside down to support the bee. I did not observe any University and from Carnegie Institute see it realistically). other type of Bombus than penn• of Technology. He has been on the facul• I resumed my observations of the sylvanicus, but I cannot see why other ty of Brussels University and Carnegie flowers at various times of the day. One large bumblebee could not feed Institute. He moved to Orlando in 1965, on these flowers. and now teaches part-time at University Thecoverphotoofthe butterflypeaisbySteve Most of the flowers possessing honey of Central Florida and Valencia Com• Shiran of Ormond Beach. pools are raided by stealing insects such munity College.