How deceptive can a plant be in luring pollinators? Few rival the elbow orchid of southeastern Australia. The orchid, which targets only males of one flower wasp species, produces a structure that mimics the smaller female wasp. Moreover, the plant emits an ador that imitates the female’s sex scent. When a male wasp struggles to mate with an orchid’s female decoy, pollen bundles stick to him, ready to fertilize the next alluring flower.

Pollination

PS: Tulisan ini untuk mengingat kembali penelitian dan pemberdayaan masyarakat di kebun Apel Batu-Malang. Bersama Pramesa, Aris Hairubbi, dan Indana Zulva.