Commelina communis–Asiatic Dayflower

Commelina communis–Asiatic Dayflower

Botanical Family Commelinaceae

Bloom Time July – September

Pollen Characteristics

Dispersal Unit Monad

Aperture Number 0-1

Aperture Type Inaperturate

Ornamentation Echinate

Tectum Eutectate

Size (um)

Shape Oval 

Pollen Color Yellow, Blue, Brown

Honey Bee Resources

Pollen Source

Nectar Source

The pollen from Commelina communis is polymorphic, meaning that the pollen, and often the anthers as well, come in different colors. In this case, Commelina has yellow, blue, or brown anthers and pollens (Willner 2011). Commelina communis has sterile, or fodder pollen, as well as fertile pollen, and these different types of pollen can have different colors even on the same flower head.

Sources

Willmer, P. (2011). Pollination and floral ecology. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.

Lunau, K. (1995). Notes on the colour of pollen. Plant Systematics and Evolution, 198(3/4), 235-252. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/23642852