Note the whorled leaves on this species. Most lilies have alternate leaves, but some have whorled leaves.
The large, white, trumpet-shaped lilies, like this Lilium regale, are pollinated by hawkmoths. They have a heavy, sweet fragrance that is especially strong at night. #teammoth #Lilium #Pollination #Liliaceae #Botany 🌾🧪🌱
I am sad today.
Butterflies aren’t the only pollinators of lilies. Lilium grayi (📷: Tara Rose Littlefield CCBYNC4) is endemic to a small area in the Blue Ridge Mountains in the US & attracts hummingbirds as its pollinators. #Lilium #Pollination #Liliaceae #Botany 🌾🧪🌱
Yesterday, I posted about eastern N. America’s Lilium grayi, a hummingbird-pollinated species. Western N.A. (where there are more spp. of hummingbirds) also has bird-pollinated species, such as L. bolanderi (📷: Annie Zell CCBYNC4). #Lilium #pollination #Liliaceae #Botany 🌾🧪🌱
Butterflies pollinate many lilies, whose flowers are “revolver flowers.” The b’fly must revolve around the flower, sipping nectar from each tepal. The lower margins of the tepals of L. catesbaei curl in to make a nectar tube. 📷: L. catesbaei Jay Horn CCBY4. #Pollination #Liliaceae #Botany 🌾🧪🌱
Let’s look at Lilium, one of my favorite genera. I love variations on the basic floral plan. Pollination is especially interesting (but not as well studied as you’d hope). Lilies offer nectar from the grooves on the tepals. 📷: L. ‘Baferrari’ with yellow nectar grooves. #Liliaceae #Botany 🌾🧪🌱
Even at the genus level, we see sibling genera that are disjunct across E North America & E Asia. One of the best examples is Taxodium in E North America & Glyptostrobus in E Asia. 📷1: T. distichum var. imbricarium, ENA. 📷2: G. pensilis, Isidro Martínez CCBYNCSA2, EA. #Cupressaceae #Botany 🌾🧪🌱
Here’s another example of the Asa Gray Disjunction: the genus Apios (#Fabaceae).
📷1: Apios americana of E North America. 📷2: A. fortunei Guanning Liu CCBYNC4 of Eastern Asia. #Botany 🌾🧪🌱
Lilium lancifolium is an Asian species with down-facing, orange flowers with dark spots. Our Eastern Tiger Swallowtail butterfly (Papilio glaucus) knows how to navigate (revolve) around the flower. Pollen is picked up & deposited by the wings. #Lilium #Pollination #Liliaceae #Botany 🌾🧪🌱
