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NEW ZEALAND BEEKEEPER, MARCH 2017
Day 1: Opening day On Day 1, the mānuka bud starts to open. The pink stamens are curled down and the anthers face into the central axis of the flower. Some anthers are already splitting open to present pollen. There is no nectar yet (or very little). This photo shows a native bee collecting a large pollen load from a newly opened flower. Native bees pack their pollen loads dry, without mixing it with nectar as honey bees do. This means that pollen can easily fall off their legs and land in the nectary at the bottom of the flower.
Photo by Valentine Tournon ©Trees for Bees NZ.
Closed flower bud
Day 2: Flower expands On Day 2, the flower petals expand wide open. A few tiny bubbles of nectar are exuded from the green nectar disc at the bottom of the flower. The stamens are not synchronous; most are still pink and curled down, but in the outer whorl the stamens are starting to straighten up and open to present the pale- yellow pollen. As the anthers open wider, the pollen can fall out by gravity and land on the nectar disc at the bottom of the flower. Wind will cause mechanical shaking of the flower and this will also knock pollen into the nectar.
Photo by Valentine Tournon ©Trees for Bees NZ.
Stamens uncurling and presenting pollen
Days 3 to 6: Bisexual flowers produce nectar Mānuka trees have two types of flowers: male and bisexual. The bisexual flower in this photo shows the pistil with its red stalk and green stigma in the centre of the flower. The male flowers lack the pistil. Both types of flower produce nectar. From Days 3 to 6, more stamens are uncurling and more anthers are opening to present pollen. The green nectar disc starts to turn red and exudes more and more bubbles of nectar.
Photo by Valentine Tournon ©Trees for Bees NZ.
Pistil with stigma and style
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