Geranium bicknellii
Bicknell's Geranium
Schizocarp - Rostra Detaching
Hudson Bay Airport Road
08-July-2024
As the fruit develops, the central portion of the receptacle elongates into a long, narrow cylinder called the columella. In addition, the styles of the five carpels elongate into five long beaks called rostra. The rostra are initially attached lengthwise to the columella. When the fruit is mature, each carpel (now known as a mericarp) and the proximal portion of the rostrum detach and coil away from the columella. During this process, the seed is ejected from the mericarp. The entire structure is called a schizocarp.
Two of the rostra have detached and coiled away from the columella in this specimen. Note that the rostra become coiled but not twisted.
Bicknellii: Answers to key questions in Budd's Flora and Flora of Alberta leading to this species.
|
Geranium: Answers to key questions in Budd's Flora and Flora of Alberta leading to this genus.
|
Geraniaceae: Answers to key questions in Budd's Flora leading to this family.
|