Fly orchid

Fly orchid (Ophrys insectifera) is a plant of the family Orchidaceae, a native of the British Isles and Europe favouring sites with alkaline soil. The name arises because it resembles a fly, being totally dependent on flies and bees for pollination. However this is fairly unsuccessful as they seldom visit the flower and it forms seed only infrequently. The plants use scent to attract male flies, which pollinate the flowers as they attempt to mate with the flower. The scent released by the flowers mimic female fly sexual pheromones. [1]

References

1. ^ Anna-Karin Borg-Karlson, Inga Groth, Lennart Ågren and Bertil KullenbergForm-specific fragances from Ophrys insectifera L. (Orchidaceae) attract species of different pollinator genera. Evidence of sympatric speciation? Journal Chemoecology Publisher Birkhäuser Basel ISSN 0937-7409 (Print) 1423-0445 (Online) Issue Volume 4, Number 1 / March, 1993 Category Research papers DOI 10.1007/BF01245895 Pages 39-45

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