On Dalea frutescens. Flowers smelled very pleasant/sweet. Sweat bees and this blue stopped by to pollinate while I was here.
The species is dioecious so all flowers are unisexual. The flowers lack petals. The perianth is a spiral of sepals. Male and female flowers arrange their sex organs on a unisexual column (like unisexual orchids in the genus Catasetum). In both flowers the central column terminates in a fleshy disc I presume would be called a compitum. In female flowers the receptive, stigmatic papillae ar arranged under the compitum on the surface of the style. In male flowers the column is a pistilode also with a fleshy compitum. Sessile anthers re fused to the pistilode style.
First image female flower. Second image male. 5th & 6th image female Plants dioecious and abundant at this location. Nearly 60% of hosts (Dalea frutescens) infected.
Re: flower morphology:
The species is dioecious so all flowers are unisexual. The flowers lack petals. The perianth is a spiral of sepals. Male and female flowers arrange their sex organs on a unisexual column (like unisexual orchids in the genus Catasetum). In both flowers the central column terminates in a fleshy disc I presume would be called a compitum. In female flowers the receptive, stigmatic papillae ar arranged under the compitum on the surface of the style. In male flowers the column is a pistilode also with a fleshy compitum. Sessile anthers re fused to the pistilode style. That's the best I can do at short notice. Have you seen the attached? I think the illustration is quite clear. How many stamens can you count attached to the pistilode neck?
Cactaceae columnar ramificada. Nombre común local: "tetecho". Fruto comestible. Forma grandes agrupaciones en la zona del Jardín Botánico "Dra. Helia Bravo Hollis".
Serra do Cipó, Santana do Riacho, MBM415652.
Planta parasita em ramo de Mimosa sp.