Pollination biology of a Chloraeinae orchid

The pollination biology of very few Chloraeinae orchids has been studied to date, and little is known about pollinator behaviour. Sanguinetti et al. study the floral features, breeding system and pollinator behaviour in Chloraea membranacea, one of the few non-Andean species in the group. They find that this species is nectarless, displays labellar projections involved in scent emission and is self-compatible, although pollinator-dependent. The main pollinators are Halictidae bees, which visit more than one flower per inflorescence and thus promote self-pollination (geitonogamy). Some female bees can be observed transferring pollen from the pollinarium carried on their dorsum to their hind legs; a rare event in orchid pollination.