Grass Triggerplant, Blue Mountains near Sydney, 10 Jan 2012

The Unique "Trigger": This plant is famous for its highly specialized pollination mechanism. Visible in the center of the flowers is a sensitive column (where the stamen and style are fused) that acts as a spring-loaded trigger. When a pollinating insect lands to feed on nectar, the trigger snaps rapidly over to strike the insect's back, dusting it with pollen or collecting pollen brought from another flower. Best seen on the lower left flower.
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