Small-flowered tonella (Tonella tonella) COSEWIC assessment and status report: chapter 6

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Biology

Little is known specifically about the biology of this species. Species of Tonella, along with its sister genus, Collinsia (blue-eyed Mary) of the tribe Collinsieae, are self-compatible annuals (Armbruster et al. 2002). Their persistence at the site in British Columbia indicates that at this time the seeds are viable and germinate readily. Tonella tenella is considered a small-flowered type and according to Armbruster et al. (2002), large- and small-flowered taxa appear to have differences in timing of self-pollination. Large-flowered taxa maintain spatial separation of anthers and stigmas early in anthesis by differential elongation of staminal filaments, while small-flowered taxa do not show this elongation pattern. As a result, large-flowered taxa experience a delay in self-pollination whereas in small-flowered taxa, anther-stigma contactand self-pollination occur early. Furthermore, the stigmas are receptive to pollen-tube growth early in Tonella species. Low elevation pollinators for the tribe include the insects Bombus, Anthophora, Emphoropsis, Synhalonia and Osmia (Armbruster et al. 2002).