Pollination needs and pollinators of Dusty Maiden, Chaenactis douglasii

Jim Cane, Byron Love and Katharine Swoboda USDA-ARS Bee Biology Lab Utah State Univ. Logan Utah Chaenactis douglasii

Aberdeen PMC, Idaho Sexual phases

Female Male Autogamy potential, achene fill?

Coiled late-day stigma with pollen

Achene Breeding biology of Dusty Maiden

Row Labels Seeds A 2221 Empty 1892 Filled 329 G 2151 Empty 1811 Filled 340 O 2446 Empty 950 Filled 1496 Grand Total 6818 More seed with bees

8-fold more seed

x Benefits of outcrossing

x Bee fauna at Chaenactis douglasii Agapostemon angelicus 4* Agapostemon femoratus 2* Andrena 3 * visiting Chaenactis Apis many at PMC at Aberdeen PMC Bombus huntii 1 Ceratina 2 Ceratina nanula 1 Ceratina pacifica 2 Dialictus 5 Halictus ligatus 17* Halictus tripartitus 2 Lasioglossum 8 Megachile 3 Photo Derek Tilley Micranthophora flexipes 8* Osmia 6 Osmia marginipennis 1 Osmia californica 2 only specialists on Asteraceae Sum bees 67 Bee fauna at Chaenactis douglasii Sparse! At one site, 11 bees taken from 154 plants surveyed

Halictus ligatus cultivated

Apis Photo Derek Tilley Photo Derek Tilley Wild bee to manage for cultivated Chaenactis and Eriophyllum

Osmia californica •by-catch of wild O. lignaria •found throughout West •Asteraceae specialist •flies after apple bloom Pollinating cultivated Chaenactis

honey bees Osmia californica bees Virtues and challenges of using Chaenactis douglasii

 Advantages  Disadvantages

 Grows well, tall  Needle-like seeds

 Easily pollinated by  Fluffy pappus makes available bees seed harvest

 Good seed challenging production

 Blooms first year

 Perennial

 Widely adapted, widespread Aberdeen PMC introduces new vacuum harvester for fluffy seed Isotype of Chaenactis fremontii A. Gray [family ASTERACEAE] Collector J. C. Frémont, No# 357 Collection date 1844