GLACIER LILY (Erythronium grandiflorum)
FLOWERS IN REPRODUCTION:
Names: yellow avalanche lily, glacier lily and dogtooth fawn lily.
Native to western North America. Found in subalpine mountain meadows, slopes and clearings. Anatomical description: Grows from a deep bulb (3-5cm wide), has two green leaves with wavy edges that are up to 20cm long. Stalk can reach up to 30cm tall/long, and bears one to three 'showy' flowers. Each flower has bright lemon yellow petals, white stamens with large white to yellow to red anthers, and a white style. The flowers are pendulous (drooping) and the 6 petals curve upwards (recurve) when mature. |
PHYSICAL/STRUCTURAL CLUES FOR POLLINATION:
Lilies are of the phylum Angiospermae, which means they are flowering plants. Within this phylum, there are many more classes. Lilies fall under the class of Monocotyledones (monocots). This means they have one seed leaf. Additionally, they are herbaceous, which means their flowers have three parts.
The ovary is located at the base of the flower. The style, which leads up to the stigma, is attached to the ovary. The ovary, style and stigma make up the pistil. All around the pistil are the stamens. Filaments branch upward from the flower centre, with pollen-covered anthers attached at the top.
Glacier lilies have 'perfect flowers' which means they have male and female flowers on the same plant.
Flower petals are designed to
aid in the reproduction process, attracting pollinating insects. For the glacier lily, it's bright yellow petals provide a very attractive call for bumblebees, it's main pollinator. Glacier lilies are also pollinated by other bees and also hummingbirds.
These pollinators carry pollen from the stamens to the pistils, eventually ending up in the ovaries to produce seeds. Pollen attaches to the sticky stigma and continues down the style to the ovary. Seeds are made in small pods.
Used http://homeguides.sfgate.com/lily-pollinate-64286.html for the above information.
Lilies are of the phylum Angiospermae, which means they are flowering plants. Within this phylum, there are many more classes. Lilies fall under the class of Monocotyledones (monocots). This means they have one seed leaf. Additionally, they are herbaceous, which means their flowers have three parts.
The ovary is located at the base of the flower. The style, which leads up to the stigma, is attached to the ovary. The ovary, style and stigma make up the pistil. All around the pistil are the stamens. Filaments branch upward from the flower centre, with pollen-covered anthers attached at the top.
Glacier lilies have 'perfect flowers' which means they have male and female flowers on the same plant.
Flower petals are designed to
aid in the reproduction process, attracting pollinating insects. For the glacier lily, it's bright yellow petals provide a very attractive call for bumblebees, it's main pollinator. Glacier lilies are also pollinated by other bees and also hummingbirds.
These pollinators carry pollen from the stamens to the pistils, eventually ending up in the ovaries to produce seeds. Pollen attaches to the sticky stigma and continues down the style to the ovary. Seeds are made in small pods.
Used http://homeguides.sfgate.com/lily-pollinate-64286.html for the above information.
SEED DISTRIBUTION:
The fruit of the glacier lily is the 3 segmented capsule type pod as shown above that contains the seeds. Once the fruit is mature and opens, releasing the seeds, the seeds fall to the ground and are dispersed by wind disturbances and animals.
Seeds need 100 days of being in cold soil (stratification) to germinate. Some Erythronium members have been known to take up to 8 years before reaching reproductive maturity. The above information is from http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/forb/erygra/all.html |