Pollen collection by honey bees from Sarcocornia Quinqueflora.

Abstract

There have been very few studies of pollination in saltmarsh species. It has been generally assumed that many species (notably in the Chenopodiaceae, Cyperaceae, Juncaceae and Gramineae) are wind pollinated while those with showy flowers (for example Samolus repens and Selliera radicans) are insect pollinated. While casual observation suggests that a variety of insects are visitors to such flowers, there does not appear to have been any study in Australia which has identified the species concerned or which has confirmed that they are indeed effective pollination agents (similar remarks could be made about the state of knowledge for all other habitat types). In the case of species regarded generally as wind pollination there is now a number of reports, from various parts of the world, of pollen collection by insects. Pollen collection from the clubrush Scirpus (Bulboschoenus) maritimus was described by Leereveld, Meeuse and Stelleman (1981). Pojar (1973) discussed pollen collection from a number of saltmarsh species in Canada by bumble bees. Keighery (1979) reported pollen collection by honey bees and syrphid flies from Suaeda australis.