New study challenges age-old conjecture that bilaterally symmetrical flowers increase pollination accuracy by animals

In nature, flowers may share morphological features, even across distantly related species. Bilateral symmetry is one such feature found in flowers of various taxa, such as orchids and legumes. Animals enter these bilaterally symmetrical flowers from the front with their ventral side down. This observation has led to the belief that bilateral floral symmetry represents an adaptation to allow the stamens and pistils to touch specific areas of an animal's body, thereby increasing pollination accuracy. However, this notion, widely held since the 18th century, has been recently refuted.