Development of the flowers of Verbascum litigiosum: (A) Day before corolla opening; (B) Day of corolla opening, morning; (C) Day of corolla opening, afternoon; (D) Day two after corolla opening. Flower development: (1) flower bud already with dehiscent anthers in the day before corolla opening; (2) flower with fully opened corolla on the morning of day one; (3) flower with the corolla starting to close in the afternoon of day one; (4) flower with wilted corolla on day two.

Contexts in source publication

Context 1

... lifespan of flowers of V. litigiosum is one day (Figure 1), meaning that in nature the flowers remain open and available for pollinators for one day only. Interestingly, we observed that the dehiscence of the anthers occurs before corolla opening, i.e., in the day before corolla anthesis, with self-pollen being deposited in the stigmatic papillae (Figure 2A-B). ...

Context 2

... opens the possibility for the prior self-fertilization mechanism. In the end of the day, the corolla starts to close ( Figure 1C), and the anthers bend towards the stigma, enabling the deposition of more pollen on the stigma and the possibility for delayed self-pollination. However, the pollen grains also start to acquire a whitish color, possibly linked with lower viability. ...

Context 3

... the pollen grains also start to acquire a whitish color, possibly linked with lower viability. In the morning of the following day, the corolla is completely wilted (Figure 1D), easily falling from the inflorescence. ...