Ceropegia Ampliata

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Title: Ceropegia Ampliata
Medium: Digital Photography
Photographer: Aaron J. Greenblatt
Camera Type: Panasonic DMC-LZ7 Lumix 7.2 MP
Editing: Edited in PhotoShop 7.0 for color accuracy, size, and to apply copyright and border.

Location: Photograph taken at the University of Michigan-Dearborn (UMD) greenhouse which is attached to the Science Building on the UMD campus in Dearborn, Michigan.

Permission to take this picture was granted by Dr. Don Miller, faculty member in the Department of Natural Sciences at the University of Michigan-Dearborn.

Description: This fascinating plant was flowering in the greenhouse. The blooms of this unique variety of the "Parachute Flower" appear on wiry leafless stems. In nature, clusters of the cylindrical greenish-white flowers emerge from spring to fall. Members of the genus Ceropegia are characterized by tubular flowers specially adapted for the temporary capture of insects for pollination purposes. The variety of structures and hairs, the coloration and the pollination strategies make this a fascinating group of plants.

About Ceropegia Ampliata: Ceropegia Ampliata is a perennial twiner or scrambler with a succulent stem arising from a fleshy, tuberous rootstock. Plants occasionally branch at the nodes and can grow up to 2 m and more in length. The stems are hairless and sometimes have longitudinal grooves.

The plants have fleshy tuft roots from germinating seed or fibrous roots form at the nodes where the stem touches the soil surface. Leaves are borne on terminal growth; they are very small, up to about 3 mm long, and are lanceolate or heart-shaped. The leaves are shed early and the stem is the main organ used for photosynthesis.

Where Found: Bushman's pipe (as the plant is sometimes called) is commonly found on dry, stony hillsides, twining in other vegetation. The plant is found in Africa. Specifically the Limpopo Province, Mpumalanga, KwaZulu-Natal, the Eastern Cape and southern parts of the Western Cape, extending northwards as far as Tanzania. It also occurs in Madagascar.

Pollination: On the inside of the tube-like flower (especially at the mouth before the basal inflation) hairs are found, all of them directed downwards. When a pollinator enters the cage and moves down the tube, the stiff hairs make it difficult, if not impossible, to move out again. The insect is thus almost forced to move further down where a very specialized structure containing the pollen mass is housed.

In the flower, pollen sacks get attached to the bodies of the pollinators. After about four days, the flowers start to wilt. When this happens, the hairs become lax and the pollinator can leave its cage, pollination taking place when it enters another flower.

Information Source: [link] (plantzafrica.com)

Legal: Copyright © Aaron J. Greenblatt. All rights reserved. Commercial use prohibited. This image and commentary may not be used for any reason without expressed written consent.


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