Pollination of Cercis

[Doug Yanega]

>Dear Taxacomer,
>I went to observe the pollination of a Chinese endemic species, Cercis
>chuniana, during the last four days and found that it is pollinated by a
>large bee (Identification is yet to be done). I am also planning to study
>the pollination of other Chinese species next year (it is too late this
>year). I'll be very happy to see people studying the pollination of the
>American and European species.

Native Cercis species in N. America (including Mexico) have a large number
(ca. 40 spp.) of bee pollinators, but most are very broad generalists;
among the few that seem to be both abundant and likely to be *reliable*
pollinating visitors to Cercis are various species of Colletes, Andrena,
and Osmia, possibly also some Synhalonia. I'd rather suspect your large
Chinese bee will prove to be either an Osmia or a Xylocopa.

Peace,


Doug Yanega       Dept. of Entomology           Entomology Research Museum
Univ. of California - Riverside, Riverside, CA 92521
phone: (909) 787-4315
                  http://www.icb.ufmg.br/~dyanega/
  "There are some enterprises in which a careful disorderliness
        is the true method" - Herman Melville, Moby Dick, Chap. 82