Conservatory of Flowers: Education

The Campaign to Restore the Conservatory of Flowers

Guides Corner

Pollination Syndromes: Traits of Flowers Pollinated
by Different Pollinators

Often it is possible to guess what pollinates a plant just by looking at the shape, color and scent of a flower. These characteristics that help us predict the pollinator are called pollination syndromes. The following is a list of pollinator types and their respective pollination syndromes.

Trait	Bee	Fly	Beetle	Butterfly	Moth	Bird	Bat	Wind
Color	Yellow, blue, purple, or UV (Bees can’t see red.)	Dull red to dark brown	Dull white, purple, or brown	Red, blue and purple	Pale, pink, green, or white	Bright red or orange	Dull white or green or purple	Dull or pale green, yellow or brown, may be absent or reduced
Flower scent	Fresh and pleasant	Putrid ("decaying flesh")	Strongly fruity or fetid	Faint, mild, fresh and sweet	Strong and sweet, emitted at night	None, birds cannot smell	Strong and musky, emitted at night	None
Flower shape/ depth	Shallow; have a landing platform or lip; can be tubular: can have nectar guides, snapdrag-ons	Shallow; funnel-like or complex trap like the dutchman’s pipe.	Large, regular, bowl-like; Magnolias, Victoria amazonica	Narrow tube or spur, with a wide landing pad, yarrow	Regular; tubular without a lip, horizontal, yucca flower	Large, container-like; tubes, funnels, cups; strong supports for perch. (Humming-birds don’t use perch.)	Regular, brush or bowl or trumpet-like; closed by day; flower positioned outside foliage	Regular, small, anthers and stigmas exerted
Reward	Nectar and/or pollen	Nothing, the flies are fooled.	Edible flower parts	Nectar, ample, deeply hidden	Nectar, abundant, deeply hidden	Nectar, abundant, deeply hidden	Nectar, abundant, somewhat hidden
Time of floral opening	Day and night	Day and night	Day and night	Day and night	Night	Day and night	Night	Day and night

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