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The sculpture “staminal evolution” demonstrates the phenomenon of buzz pollination with a breathing/buzzing sound meant to represent the plant’s pollen release when solitary bees like bumblebees grab the anthers and cause them to vibrate.

In the Euphorbiaceae we have an excellent example of the gradual suppression of parts, where from an apetalous, trimerous, staminal flower we pass to one where one of the stamens is suppressed, and then to forms where two of them are wanting.

This takes place chiefly in the staminal whorl, but usually the additional parts produced form a symmetrical whorl with the others.

Thus in Dicentra and Corydalis there are six stamens in two bundles; the central one of each bundle alone is perfect, the lateral ones have each only half an anther, and are really stipules formed from the staminal leaf.

It is sometimes difficult to say whether these structures are to be referred to the corolline or to the staminal row.