pseudocopulation

British  

/ ˌsjuːdəʊˌkɒpjʊˈleɪʃən /

noun

1. botany pollination of plants, esp orchids, by male insects while attempting to mate with flowers that resemble the female insect

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Example Sentences

This ruse, which scientists call pseudocopulation, works because the orchid tends to bloom during a specific window each spring — shortly after lonely male bees emerge from hibernation but before female bees appear.

From New York Times • Apr. 4, 2018

Psychopsis orchids look a whole lot like butterflies, and they probably evolved to trick gullible bugs into pollinating them through pseudocopulation.

From Washington Times • Jan. 24, 2015