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Recognising pollination syndromes
Proteas
are pollinated by mice, birds, beetles, bees and wind. These pollination
syndromes can be recognized as follows:
Rodent pollination: The flower heads are hidden inside the bush where rodents will not be caught by birds of prey, and where flower heads will not be easily found by bees and birds. The colours are dull, camouflaging browns, greys and blacks. Attraction is by odour: the blossoms smell of yeast or wet fur. The nectar is very thick - more like honey than tea. The flower heads are very robust - rodents are strong and like to nibble.
Bird pollination: The flower heads are large enough for birds to land on, brightly coloured (red, orange, yellow, cream, green) to attract the birds, and without an odour (birds do not smell well). Nectar is prolific to provide sufficient food for birds. So as not to attract insects flower heads are seldom purple or pink. The nectar is too dilute (equivalent to 1-3 teaspoons sugar per cup water) to be profitable for insects to use.
Insect pollination: The flower heads are small and relatively delicate. Usually pink in colour, often with a sweet or spicy odour to attract the insects. Nectar is quite concentrated (equivalent to 2-7 teaspoons sugar per cup water), but present in only very small quantities.
Wind pollination: The flower heads are green or yellow - the same as the leaves. The flower heads are small. No nectar is produced (the hypogynous glands are often absent). Pollen is produced in vast quantities and can be shaken out of the flower heads during flowering. The stigmas are large and sticky. There are usually many more pollen-producing flowers than female flowers. All known wind-pollinated proteas are Conebushes and females are often markedly bigger in leaf size, cone size, flower size, and have fewer branches, more sympodial growth, etc. than males.
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