Sunday, March 1, 2009

Unfinished business: Kalanchoe thyrsifolia flowers

Back in early December, I reported that we had a Kalanchoe thyrsifolia that had started to bloom. Well, it's still blooming now, but the old flowers aren't drying up and falling off like they would on most plants: they're hanging around. Not sure what's going on -- they don't seem to be doing anything in particular -- but it makes for a dramatic picture. This is best when opened in a new window.


5 comments:

Dreamybee said...

Wow, that is stunning in its own window! What's going on with the little droplets that seem to be forming on the closed-up flowers?

mr_subjunctive said...

I'm not sure, actually. I haven't had time to investigate. Anybody else know?

Anonymous said...

Nectar?

Korina

mr_subjunctive said...

That was what I assumed at first, but why offer nectar from flowers that are closed and no longer can be pollinated? I mean, not that it couldn't be, but it'd be a weird way to do things.

Anonymous said...

From your pic, it looks like with the death of the anthers that the stigma is now exposed/more prominent. If that's the case then perhaps pollination is not only still possible but it could then be a strategy to avoid a flowers self-pollination.