Question

Lever mechanism of pollination is a characteristic adaptation for entomophily in family ...........................

• A. Orchidaceae
• B. Compositae
• C. Labiatae
• D. Liliaceae

Answer 1

Answer: (C)

Labiatae

Lever adaptation is a characteristic feature of Labiatae family which promotes entomophily, which is the pollination where insects are pollinating agents. Salvia is an example of plant in the same family. When a pollinator probes a male stage flower for nectar, the lever causes the stamens to move and the pollen to be deposited on the pollinator. When the pollinator withdraws from the flower, the lever returns the stamens to their original position. In older, female stage flowers, the stigma is bent down in a general location that corresponds to where the pollen was deposited on the pollinator's body. The lever of most Salvia species is not specialized for a single pollinator, but is generic and selected to be easily released by many bird and bee pollinators of varying shapes and sizes. The lever arm can be specialized to be different lengths so that the pollen is deposited on different parts of the pollinator's body.

So, the correct answer is 'Labiatae'