Soya-Bean Flowers: Nectary Ultrastructure, Nectar Guides, and Orientation on the Flower by Foraging Honeybees

Abstract

SummarySoya-bean flowers possess most, if not all, of the anatomical adaptations characteristic of entomophilous plant species. A description of the flower is presented, based on photomicrographs and scanning electron micrographs. Specifically described and illustrated are: nectar guides, including those differentiated by ultraviolet light; the tongue channel and tongue guides; the ultrastructure of a highly developed nectary. The structure of the flower ensures that most foraging honeybees will contact an exposed sexual column with their ventral or facial hairs, thus effecting the transfer of pollen.