May 9,
Blue Hills Reservation, Milton
These are the least showy of all shadbushes. Their tiny petals are shaped as miniature spoons. Yet the most amazing fact about them is that these small, but quite normal petals carry additional pollen (hidden on the underside of the petal margin). This phenomenon seems to be very rare, if not unique, in the plant world. It is also well pronounced in A. nantucketensis and has served the grounds for uniting both in one taxon.
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