The first recorded case of an explosive pollination mechanism in the Labiatae is reported. This was discovered in Eriope crassipes Benth., a frequent herb of the South and Central Brazilian savanna. Observations made on the sequence of events associated with pollination by the bee Epanthidioidesgregarium (Schrottky) are described in detail, and it is demonstrated that the whole process from flower opening to corolla fall is normally completed in a single day. Finally, the possible occurrence of this mechanism in other species of Eriope, and in related genera, is discussed.
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R. M. Harley (1971) studied this question.