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© Copyright 2002 by Instituto de Pesquisas Jardim Botânico do Rio de Janeiro

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

POLLINATION

Orchids need a pollinating agent to be fertilized. Usually an insect or a bird is responsible for the transfer of pollinia to the stigma, a process known as pollination. The strategy used by orchids to attract their pollinators is a highly complex and fascinating phenomenon. In some extreme cases, the orchid flower may have the form of female beetle. wasp or bee, whose males, attracted by its enticing appearance, try to "copulate" with the flower, involuntarily completing the pollination.