Pollination Mechanisms in Three Species of Salvia Native to Southern California

Pollination Syndromes of New WorldSalviaSpecies with Special Reference to Bird Pollination1

“…Sometimes a few species of moths and butterflies were noticed at the flowers. However, it is unclear whether they contacted the pollen sacs and stigma, and pollen was never found on their bodies (see also Visco & Capon, 1970;Read, 1983). On the contrary, several species of bees were observed to land on the lower lip of the sweetscented flowers.…”

“…Salvia carduacea, for instance, was classified as an ornithophilous species by Zalewska (1928; see also Pickens, 1936). Although hummingbirds occasionally visit this species, they might never or only accidentally contact the reproductive organs (Visco & Capon, 1970;Read, 1983). Sometimes a few species of moths and butterflies were noticed at the flowers.…”

“…Audibertia (see Walker et al, 2004). with pollen (Visco & Capon, 1970;Read, 1983; this study). Faegri and van der Pijl (1971) assumed S. lasiantha to be myiophilous without giving reasons.…”

Germination Responses to Temperature Pretreatment of Seeds from Ten Populations of Salvia Columbariae in the San Gabriel Mountains and Mojave Desert, California

“…Data from this and a previous study (Capon and Brecht, 1970) suggest that such a distribution is not attributable to the adaptability of the species as a whole but to the species being composed of several 372 ALISO ecotypes, each characterized by having individual adaptability to a specific microclimate, particularly to prevailing seasonal temperatures as they correspond with various stages in the plant's life cycle. Geographic isolation of 26 populations in southern California studied to date, their relatively small sizes, and the uniformity of seed morphology within each lend support to the belief that they are genetically homogeneous units, maintained by inbreeding through self-pollination or localized cross-pollination (Visco and Capon, 1970). Collection of seed from several of the populations over a 10-yr period has assured us of the constancy of each.…”

Flies as pollinators of melittophilous Salvia species (Lamiaceae)

“…Phenotypic adaptation to bees does not mean that other insect groups are completely excluded from the process of pollen transfer. It has been repeatedly suggested that Salvia flowers might be pollinated by butterflies or long‐tongued flies (Sprengel, 1793; Hildebrand, 1865; Knuth, 1899; Müller, 1921; Visco and Capon, 1970; Faegri and van der Pijl, 1971; Read, 1983; Grases and Ramirez, 1998; Potgieter and Edwards, 2001; Fenster et al, 2004; Wester and Claßen‐Bockhoff, 2011). Though butterflies often visit Salvia flowers, they have not been observed moving the lever mechanism (see Wester and Claßen‐Bockhoff, 2006, 2011, and references cited).…”