Cichorium_intybus_2024-07-21 SW Michigan USA
I went out to our chicory flower patch early this morning to gather enough flowers to have another go at photographing the center detail, this time by physically removing most of the background elements.
To my astonishment, none of the flowers had styles (the curvy part at the top of the stamen tube) - was my chicory patch all male flowers?
I found this article on the internet: https://www.natureinstitute.org/article/craig-holdrege/a-day-in-the-life-of-a-chicory-flower
Turns out the flowers start their day with the style retracted and only later in the morning extend it. The above is a photo of the stamen tubes with extended styles. If you 'load original' and zoom in the pollen grains look a little like cut diamonds.
See also:
Common chicory, Cichorium intybus, is a somewhat woody, perennial herbaceous plant usually with bright blue flowers, rarely white or pink. Various varieties are cultivated for salad leaves, chicons (blanched buds), or for roots (var. sativum), which are baked, ground, and used as a coffee substitute and additive.
