Tuesday, September 29, 2015

Ceropegia Flowers – Beautiful flytraps.

The name derives from the Greek words 'keros', a wax candle and 'pegnynai', assemble or unite; for the chandelier like flower structures of some of the species. Ceropegia contains a diverse group of 160 named species distributed over a wide range including the Canary Islands, Africa, Madagascar, Arabia, India, Ceylon, China, Indonesia, Phillipines, New Guinea and Australia. About 40 species from India occur mostly in the peninsula, with the Sahyadri or northern Western Ghats alone home to 20 species of this specialised plant group, most of them endemic to the area. Ceropegias are uncommon small herbs that appear only during the monsoon months, blooming for just a couple of weeks, in very remote habitats. Since their habitats become even more inaccessible in the rains, sightings of these flowers are rare and adventure for shooting. I clicked this particular flower in Tungareshwar Sanctuary on a rock cliff around 75 feet high.

Ceropegia attenuata

 Flowers occur either singly or in clusters and have a tubular corolla 2 or more times as long as its diameter and longer than the 5 lobes. The base of the tube is usually inflated and the tube may have downwardly orientated hairs on the inside and hairs on the outside and at the edges of the lobes. Colors include reds, purples, yellows, greens and mixtures of these. The hairs until the flower wilts may trap flies entering the corolla. The tips of the lobes are fused together to form a cage-like flower structure in many species, but are open in others. The five lateral entrance windows on the lantern are decorated with frills of vibrating colored hair. The inside of the pitcher has dark colored bands, which seem to guide insects to the nectary. The purpose of evolving this complex structure of flower is to ensure pollination without loosing much pollen and nectar.

Ceropegia media

 If an insect is trapped in the pitchers and has brought in pollens from another flower, which is picked up by the sticky stigma as the insect was attracted towards the sweet nectar. Once pollination has occurred, the stalk of the flower bends and the pollinated flowers turns limp, bending over and releasing the trapped insect. Once the critical process of pollination is completed successfully, fruiting begins.

Ceropegia hirsuta - TOP view
Ceropegia media - TOP view

Ceropegia huberi - TOP view

Ceropegia jainni

Ceropegia rollea

Ceropegia vincaefolia 

Ceropegia vincaefolia - TOP view


Yuwaraj Gurjar.

22 comments:

  1. Welcome back Yuwaraj !!

    Very well written and excellent captures as usual :)

    Have a great day!

    Shantana

    ReplyDelete
  2. These look like professional photographs. Well done!
    JM, Illinois-U.S.A.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Fascinating plants, and great photos!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Stunning. Your skill is very apparent. So glad to have found you through OBW.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Thank you. The pictures were wonderful. I smiled!

    ReplyDelete
  6. You could hang these in an art gallery! Thanks for linking in with Through My Lens.

    Mersad
    Mersad Donko Photography

    ReplyDelete
  7. Outstanding macros which remind me of Karl Blossfeldt's phantastic photos!!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Amazing photos and they ARE beautiful!!! Thank you!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Really beautiful macro photography

    Mollyxxx

    ReplyDelete
  10. A very fascinating post! I learned so much! Ad your photos of these flowers are spectacular!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Gorgeous photography. What fascinating flowers. Thanks for linking up :)

    ReplyDelete
  12. That's lovely.
    I've never seen anything like it!
    Please come link up at http://image-in-ing.blogspot.com/2015/10/poor-little-birdie.html

    ReplyDelete
  13. Welcome to Nature Notes... Amazing macro photos to go with really interesting information. Your passion for nature comes shining through. Thank you so much for linking in..Michelle

    ReplyDelete
  14. Wow, stunning flowers and photos.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Thank you for taking part in the Floral Friday Fotos meme!

    ReplyDelete
  16. Great photos of these interesting flowers.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Thank you so much for the beautiful photos and the excellent information.

    ReplyDelete