Magnolia Pollination in Cornwall and Gwent by John D
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Magnolia pollination in Cornwall and Gwent by John D. Carlaon I began this study of Magnolia mollicomata, M. X soulangiana, and po)!!nation in Spring 1988, at the on some still receptive flowers of M. suggestion of Mr. N. G. Treseder, X 'Caerhays Surprise'. who said that he had never seen the I identified the two most common beetles responsible for pollination in flies as Bibio hortulanus and St. any Cornish garden. During this Mark's By, Bibio marci; in addition exercise I examined hundreds of quite a few more insects have been magnolia Bowers, some of them identified at home in Gwent, south many times over. The situation Wales. I should point out that the turned out to be far more complex observations in Gwent were made than I ever imagined. The first almost exclusively on M. X surprise was, at least as far as soulangiana. Only one other type of gardens in Cornwall and Gwent were Sy was seen, namely the common concerned, the chief pollinators are blow-fiy, although midges were very not beetles, but various kinds of common at all times. flies! The four species of beetles seen My wife and I first noticed this were the wasp beetle (Clytus arietis), fact on a visit to Cotehele House in elm bark beetle (Scolytus scolytus), North Cornwall, in early ApriL The the carpet beetle (Attagenus pellio) various trees of M. stellata and M. and the weevil (Curculio nucum). X loebneri contained small Siss in Two spider species were also the fully, partly, and unopened identified. Diaea dorsata, which was Bowers. A few very tiny spiders were seen a number of times, and a also seen at this time in some rather rare spider, Misumena uatia, unopened Bowers. We also noticed which I only saw once, lying in wait that both bees and Siss were very for its prey, perched on the much in evidence around two large, gynoecium of an open Bower of M. tree-like specimens of M. X X soulangiana. This spider has the soulangiana. More insect life was remarkable ability to change color. found in other specimens of M. X On the occasion I saw it, the spider souiangiana, including a species of was pure white, to match the color damsel Sy, which flew off too rapidly of the flower tepals it was on. It is to be identified. also able to change to green or to Our next visit was to Antony yellow to suit its surroundings. House at Torpoint in northeast One of the beetle species that I Cornwall. Here we found the same was unable to identify positively was small Siss on M. X eoufangiana as possibly the furniture beetle, which well as in opened and unopened is reputed to eat pollen on occasion. Bowers of M. denudata and M. On many occasions I saw large sprengeri. numbers of very small Bies and Our last visit in CornwaU was to beetles which I could not identify. Burncoose and South Down On a few occasions I was lucky Nurseries. I soon found further enough to see the Sies Bibio examples of the same fly on M. hortulanus and Bibio marci with 18 some midges on receptive stigmas some M. X eoulongiana and M. with posen actually on their bodies. sregoto Bowers were still receptive According to my insect identification when su%ciently open to allow larger books both of these Siss are insects, such as bees, to enter. Later important pollinators of fruit trees. whilst quite a few M. X soufongiano Rather surprisingly, I did not Bowers were still opening, the observe any beetles until the number of insects of all kinds magnolias had been Bowering for seemed to decline greatly. This point some time, in fact, I had despaired seems strange to me, and I feel it of seeing them at all. They were must have some eFect on the never numerous, and can only pollination of later Sowers. account for one or two percent of One Snal point I must make is pollinations, by my calcuiatione. By that in the case of the bees, flies, contrast the Siss appear to be and midgee, I can say with certainty responsible for something like that these were not one-o8 visits. I ninety-Sve percent of poBinations. observed the insects hovering around A further point of interest, noted the magnolias in question, going in CornwaU and Gwent, was that from one Sower to another Sower. Raymond M. Sutton, Jr. specializing in Botanical and Horticultural Books (including Magnolia books) Rare, Out-of-Print and New Write for our latest We Buy and Sell Books Catalog P. O. Box 330, Williafnsburg, Kentucky 40769 (606) 549-3464 19 .