POLLINATION BIOLOGY OF RHYNCHOSTYLIS RETUSA (L.) BLUME -AN EPIPHYTIC ORNAMENTAL ORCHIDPratibha Magotra, Shivali Verma and Namrata SharmaAbstract Pollination in Orchidaceae is known to have co evolved with its pollinators and many orchids in the absenceof their pollinators fail to set fruits, leading to the decline in number in the wild. In the present investigation,pollination biology of Rhynchostylis retusa (L.) Blume was studied. Flowers of R. retusa as expected areentomophilous. These are visited by several insects including bees, butterflies and beetles, however, onlyXylocopa sp. was found to be the potential pollinator of the species. Fruit set on manual pollination wasquite higher than on open pollination. However, no fruit set was observed in bagged flowers. The speciesis thus self-compatible but, requires its specific pollinator for successful reproduction. |