this may be of some interest to you Charlie. --- On Fri, 11/5/10, Nhu Nguyen <xerantheum@gmail.com> wrote: From: Nhu Nguyen <xerantheum@gmail.com> Subject: Re: [pbs] Window flowers To: "Pacific Bulb Society" <pbs@lists.ibiblio.org> Date: Friday, November 5, 2010, 5:17 PM Hi David, Modification of flowers (or lack thereof) almost always has to to with pollinators. Plants that don't need animal pollinators have much reduced petals. Plants that have bats pollinated flowers are often white, bloom at night, and may include a perch. Plants that are pollinated by birds are often colorful (red), blooms during the day and may include a perch (hummingbird pollinated flowers don't have perches). And perhaps by far the most elaborate flowers has to do with insect pollinators. Orchid is one of the groups that takes full advantage of this going from giving a sweet nectar reward to tricking insects to mate with them. Botanists call all of this pollination syndrome. The clearing in the petals must have something to do with these insect pollinators. Nhu Berkeley, CA -- http://www.flickr.com/photos/xerantheum/ On Thu, Nov 4, 2010 at 11:52 AM, David Ehrlich <idavide@sbcglobal.net>wrote: > Dear members, > > Has anyone done an investigation into why some flowers develop windows in > their > petals? >