Brush+Up+On+Bio

=Brush Up On Bio =

Group Members: Yash, Andrew, Annelly, Rochelle, Bobbie, Sharmila

Plant species: **//Callistemon// 'Reeves Pink'** Plant family: Myrtaceae Common name: Reeves Pink Distribution: East and South East of Australia



The //Callistemon sp.// will grow in sandy, loamy or clay soils. Habit: Shrub, approximately 5m in height Inflorescence: Cluster of small flowers arranged linearly along and around the branches. Flowers: Terminal bottle-brush like spikes of several flowers with long stamens Fruit: Small woody seed case

**Floral Morphology**
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Figure 2. //Callistemon// 'Reeves Pink' Inflorescence



Figure 3. A measurement of a //Callistemon// 'Reeves Pink' flower

The protruding stamen allows pollinators to pick up the pollen and transfer it to the stigma in the centre of the flower. Hence,protruding stamens are beneficial to pollination in the //Callistemon sp//. Furthermore, the stamen in Reeves Pink is a bright pink colour, which attracts pollinators such as birds to transfer the pollen to the stigma.

The lack of petals in the //Callistemon// //sp//. allows ease of pollination for birds and small mammals. Due to this ease of access, other animals who are not pollinators have access to the nectar.

The inflorescence of the //Callistemon sp.// is arranged in clusters which provides greater visibility and surface area for pollination.


 * Pollen:**

The pollen grains are in small triangular clusters on the anther and are very abundant. At a greater magnification, the triangular shape was shown to be less rigid due to the presence of water and age. This larger amount of pollen provides a greater chance of pollination.



Figure 4. Pollen of //Callistemon// Reeves Pink at 40x Magnification

Table 1. Floral Morphology for //Callistemon// 'Reeves Pink' Note: All measurements are in mm

Table 2. Nectar Volume and Sugar Content of //Callistemon '//Reeves Pink' The average sugar concentration of nectar was 19.86 %brix. The abundance of nectar and the fairly high sugar concentration in the //Callistemon sp.// provides a good reward for pollinators. This is a good incentive for animals to visit and aid in pollination.