Herkogamy (or hercogamy) is the spatial separation of the

anther The stamen (plural ''stamina'' or ''stamens'') is the pollen-producing reproductive organ of a flower. Collectively the stamens form the androecium., p. 10 Morphology and terminology A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filam ...

s and stigma in hermaphroditic

angiosperms Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants ...

. It is a common strategy for reducing self-fertilization.

Common forms

*Approach herkogamy - (called "pin flowers") is displayed when the stigma is displayed above the level of the anthers. This arrangement of sex organs causes floral visitors to first contact the stigma, before removing

pollen Pollen is a powdery substance produced by seed plants. It consists of pollen grains (highly reduced microgametophytes), which produce male gametes (sperm cells). Pollen grains have a hard coat made of sporopollenin that protects the gametop ...

from the anthers. This form of herkogamy is considered to be common, and is associated with a large, diverse fauna of floral visitors/

pollinator A pollinator is an animal that moves pollen from the male anther of a flower to the female stigma of a flower. This helps to bring about fertilization of the ovules in the flower by the male gametes from the pollen grains. Insects are the m ...

s. *Reverse herkogamy - (called "thrum flowers") is displayed when the stigma is recessed below the level of the anthers. This arrangement causes floral visitors to first contact the anthers before the stigma. For this reason, reverse herkogamy is believed to facilitate greater pollen export than approach herkogamy. This type of sex-organ arrangement is typically associated with

Lepidopteran Lepidoptera ( ) is an order of insects that includes butterflies and moths (both are called lepidopterans). About 180,000 species of the Lepidoptera are described, in 126 families and 46 superfamilies, 10 percent of the total described specie ...

(moth or butterfly) pollination.

References

*{{cite book, title=Diversity and evolutionary biology of tropical flowers. Cambridge tropical biology series, year=1996, publisher=Cambridge University Press, isbn= 9780521565103, pages=194–195, url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8_DfMSS9r9cC&dq=Herkogamy&pg=PA194, author=Peter K. Endress, accessdate=25 February 2012 Pollination Plant morphology

Common forms

See also

References