Question

A plant of Commelia bengalensis is seen to have two types of flowers.

1. What is the significance of bearing cleistogamous flowers?
2. What is the need of bearing chasmogamous flowers when the plant forms cleistogamous flowers?
3. Discuss the significance of bearing two types of flowers.

Answer 1

Dear student

1. Cleistogamy is a type of automatic self-pollination of certain plants that do not open.
It requires fewer plant resources to produce seeds than does chasmogamy because the development of petals, nectar and large amounts of pollen is not required, also plant can propagate in unfavorable conditions.

2. Chasmogamous flowers have exposed anthers and stigma similar to the flowers of other species. Cross-pollination cannot occur in cleistogamous flowers hence plant needs these flowers to assure cross-pollination.

3. To assure both cross and self-pollination.
The presence of cleistogamous flowers provides assure seed set in unfavorable conditions too.

regards


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