Cobra
Plant
Darlingtonia
 Photo Index
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Darlingtonia californica
©
2009 Makoto Honda. All Rights Reserved
In spite of the past 150 years of study since the
discovery of
Darlingtonia california in northern California, the pollination
biologist is yet to identify who is
responsible for the fertilization of the cobra plant flowers. The unique
flower morphology appears to suggest a highly evolved floral adaptation
in relation to its pollinators in favor of cross pollination. There is no firm
field observations to date, however, that point to the existence of
major pollinators of the flower.
Are the ubiquitous spiders then the pollinators for which the flower has
so meticulously evolved? Or, have unknown insect pollinators been
replaced
by spiders in the course of evolution? The search for the elusive agent
of pollination continues....
