This plant uses a fascinating strategy to spread its pollen to other flowers via insects, primarily bees.

When a bee lands on the flower this stimulates the antennae triggering a quick change in membrane potential.

Indeed, this was probably an evolved adaptation to prevent cross pollination [3] Darwin's bee-trap experiment analyzed the kinetics and activation of this trigger mechanism of slapping pollen onto the back of bees.

Many other experiments have shown evidence of electrical changes in membrane potential in plants such as the carnivorous Venus flytrap using ion-selective micro-electrodes [4] and the Mimosa plant using ion analysis in addition to X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy.

[5] Future experiments utilizing these techniques could elucidate a more vivid picture of how this mechanism works on the molecular level.