Dec 8, 2025
This weeks microscopy features Pandorea pandorana (Bignoniaceae), aka wonga vine! This is a climbing plant that can get over 6m high. It has gorgeous tubular flowers that are white-creamy on the outside and a deep burgundy-purple on the inside. The inside of the flower is bearded, densly hairy, on the bottom surface opposite the anthers and stigma. The anthers themselves are pressed up against the top of the tube, almost cris-crossing over the style.
This is an anther appreciation post for sure. Some plants just have super pretty anthers and I take about a million pictures of them and maybe one or two photos of everything else. This is one of those plants!