Derived use of stomata…

That's a classical stoma

In plants,  stomata are wonderful pores, mostly dispatched on leaf epiderme but present on almost any other plant organ. They serve the crucial role of facilitating gaz exchanges between inside and outside.

Leaf cells within

Crucial, since plants are “breathing eaters“, essentially with multiple layers of cells, and they need to ease air transport deep into the most inner cells.

Mouths or lungs, but loose mungs… (because they are formed by two bean shaped cells who are physiologically opening or closing the door). But that is the basics about stomata. A well designed defined purpose, a very insightful function. Now this is so wonderfully simple and striking that it could not serve other function, would it?

So here is a small but nice example of what evolution always results in when species face problems of getting things out fast: instead of reinventing the wheel, it cycles bits and pieces.

In our case, it redevised stomata specially for flowers that would secrete nectar  dropping into the labellum (ah, orchids!)*. Sweet (nectar).

If there was any designer anyhow that day Maxillaria anceps was created, wouldn t you think it was especially lazzy when it reused old fashion stomata at a place where intelligently designed nectar secreting structures would best serve the orchid purpose of attracting sugar craving pollinators?

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* K. L. Davies, M. Stpiczynnska and A. Gregg (2005). Nectar-secreting Floral Stomata in Maxillaria anceps Ames & C. Schweinf. (Orchidaceae). Annals of Botany 96: 217–227.