Abbreviations used in the text.

ATP	Adenosine tri-phosphate
D	Inflorescence diameter (m)
g	Acceleration due to gravity (ms−2)
L	Length of male zone inflorescence (m)
h CV	Convective heat exchange coefficient (Wm−2 K−1)
h r	Linearized heat exchange coefficient (Wm−2 K−1)
N̅u̅ h	Mean Nusselt's number
Pr	Prandtl's number
p v	Volume-specific heat production rate of the flower (Wm−3)
Rah	Rayleigh's number
Rs or r	Inflorescence radius (m)
S	Lateral surface of the inflorescence (m2)
T S	Surface temperature of the inflorescence (°C)
T i	ith numerically calculated temperature (°C)
T m	Mean temperature (°C)
T C	Constant value at the centre of the flower (°C)
T ∞	Ambient air temperature (°C)
V	Male zone volume (m3)
Y i	ith experimentally measured temperature (°C)
ΔTV	Temperature difference, ΔTV = T(r = Rs) – T∞ (K)
β	Volumic expansion coefficient of air (K−1)
ε	Emissivity coefficient
σ	Boltzmann's constant (Wm−2 K−4)
λ	Conductivity coefficient of the inflorescence (Wm−1 K−1)
λa	Conductivity coefficient of stagnant air (Wm−1 K−1)
δ	Thickness of the conductive boundary layer (m)
ΦV	Dry heat flux leaving the male zone inflorescence (W)
υ	Kinematics viscosity of air (m2 s−1)