Another Bucket
Last month I wrote about Stanhopea, one of the "bucket orchids" and as promised, this month I am going to tell you all about the other bucket orchid, Coryanthes.
The genus Coryanthes was established in the last century by Sir William Hooker and there are currently about 34 species included in the genus. These strange orchids are naturally found from Mexico to Brazil in areas with high humidity and high temperatures. They can be found from sea level up to 1,200 meters in elevation! In the wild, Coryanthes orchids are found near ant colonies because they have formed a symbiotic relationship with ants. The orchid provides nectar and a place for the ants to nest, and in return the ants act as a police force protecting the plant against herbivores. A very reasonable relationship, if I do say so myself.
The blooms of the Coryanthes are among the most bizarre in the flower world. Their structure is one of the most complex in the plant kingdom and could almost pass for an extraterrestrial flower. C. bruchmuelleri produces one of the heaviest flowers in the Orchidaceae, which can weigh over 100 grams.
Coryanthes are not only strange because of their relationship with ants, but they also have a very unique way to attract their pollinators. Coryanthes is pollinated only by specific fragrance collecting male bees of the genera Euglossa, Eulaema and Euplusia. The bees are attracted to the blooms by the strong fragrance the flower creates.
The bee flies to the flower landing on the raised part of the flower called the "hypochile." When the bee searches for the source of scent, he goes under the hood of the flower where he inevitability looses his footing and falls into the flower's special bucket formed by the flower's labellum. The bucket, or pouch, is filled with a sticky liquid produced by the orchid. The bee, now wet, can not fly so his only way to escape the trap is to climb up the only dry path called the "callus." This path guides the bee to a spot just below the column where he can exit by squeezing past the lip and rubbing against the stigma where the "viscidium" (pollen packet) is attached to his back.
The really strange thing about this whole procedure is the bee must then go visit yet another bloom, fall into the bucket again, and repeat the whole process to pollinate the flower. This time, however, when the bee crawls through the tunnel and pushes past the stigma, the pollen packet attached to his back is removed and pollinates the flower.
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