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UltravioletPhotography

Angelonia angustifolia 'Anbluim' [Summer Snapdragon]


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Blum, A.G. (2013) Angelonia angustifolia Bentham 'Anbluim' PP22390 (Scrophulariaceae) Summer Snapdragon. Flowers photographed in ultraviolet, visible and infrared light. http://www.ultraviol...mer-snapdragon/

Update 06 Apr 2017: Added comments about pollination and petal texture.

 

Middletown, New Jersey, USA

28 July 2013

Cultivar in home garden

 

Synonyms:

  • Angelonia

Comment:

Fragrant grape-scented foliage; heat/drought tolerant; native to Mexico, West Indies, Florida; annual.

 

Some of the flowers on the plant had one lower lip while others had two lower lips. Short UV wavelengths reveal the platform calluses on the lower lip(s).

 

The flower corolla is mostly UV-absorbing. The back of its shallow spotted throat is UV-bright if the light hits it at a certain angle, but the dark spots remain. At other light angles the dark spots also become iridescent. Around the ridged rim there are obvious conical cells easily seen as a brighter ring in both UV and Visible frames. The petals have some UV-dark edging and streaks.

 

The Angelonia flower's pollination strategy is very interesting. Bees visit Angelonia to collect the floral oil stored in the rounded oil sacs at the back of the open mouth of the flower. The bee is guided to properly position itself by the two bumpy calluses on the landing platform (bottom petal). The bee's head bumps into the stamens and pistil at the top of the opening thus dislodging pollen from the anthers onto the bee. The pollen is transferred to the stigmas of the next Angelonias the bee visits.

 

Reference:

1. Missouri Botanical Garden (acc July 2013) Angelonia angustifolia. http://www.missourib...gustifolia.aspx

2. Aline Cristina Martins and Isabel Alves-dos-Santos (2013) Floral-oil-producing Plantaginaceae species: geographical distribution, pollinator rewards and interactions with oil-collecting bees. Biota Neotrop. vol.13 no.4 Campinas. http://www.scielo.br...032013000400077

 

Equipment [Nikon D600-broadband + Nikon 105mm f/4.5 UV-Nikkor]

Long exposures and flash were required to shoot indoors at f16 and f22.

 

Please expand your browser to best view these 800-pixel wide photos.

 

Visible Light [f/22 for 2.5" @ ISO 100 with onboard Flash and Baader UVIR-Block Filter]

angeloniaAngustifolia\'Anbluim\'VisFlash_072813wf_13305pn.jpg

 

Ultraviolet Light [f/22 for 25" @ ISO 400 with SB-14 UV-modified Flash and Baader UV-Pass Filter]

angeloniaAngustifolia\'Anbluim\'UVBaadSB14_072813wf_13311origPN.jpg

 

Infrared Light [f/22 for 4" @ ISO 100 with onboard Flash and B+W 093 IR-Pass Filter]

angeloniaAngustifolia\'Anbluim\'093IRFlash_072813wf_13315origPN.jpg

 

Visible Light [f/16 for 1" @ ISO 100 with onboard Flash and Baader UVIR-Block Filter]

angeloniaAngustifolia\'Anbluim\'VisFlash_072813wf_13280pnpncrop.jpg

 

Ultraviolet Light [f/16 for 20" @ ISO 400 with SB-14 UV-modified Flash and Baader UV-Pass Filter]

This is a stack of two frames to widen depth of field.

angeloniaAngustifolia\'Anbluim\'UVBaadSB14_072813wf_13296-99Comppncrop.jpg

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  • 3 years later...

Reworked versions of first UV Angelonia above. (2nd photo in series.)

Note: These photos will click up to 1500 pixels in width in an expanded browser with no sidebars.

 

 

angeloniaAngustifolia_300dpiDarkBkg_274x278_20130728_pnPf601.jpg

 

 

angeloniaAngustifolia_orig_300dpi_274x278mm_20130728pnPf101.jpg

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