Nesocodon
Nesocodon mauritianus at the Conservatoire botanique national de Brest, France in 2015 july
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Asterales
Family: Campanulaceae
Subfamily: Campanuloideae
Genus: Nesocodon
Thulin
Species:
N. mauritianus
Binomial name
Nesocodon mauritianus
(I.B.K.Richardson) Thulin

Nesocodon is a monotypic genus of flowering plants within the family Campanulaceae. The sole species is Nesocodon mauritianus, formerly known as Wahlenbergia mauritiana, which is endemic to the island of Mauritius.

It was the first plant ever discovered that produces red-colored nectar. It was originally thought to have been pollinated by birds, however, recent investigations have demonstrated that day geckos (Phelsuma ornata) are the preferred pollinator of these flowers whereas birds functioned as nectar thieves.[1] The red-whiskered bulbul (Pycnonotus jocosus) robs it of its nectar.[2]

It is closely related to Heterochaenia from the Mascarene Islands, but has single flowers rather than panicles of several.[3]

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Nesocodon.
  1. ↑ Mauritian coloured nectar no longer a mystery: a visual signal for lizard pollinators. Dennis M Hansen, Karin Beer, Christine B Müller Published 22 June 2006.DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2006.0458
  2. ↑ Olesen, J. M., et al. (1998). Mauritian red nectar remains a mystery. Nature 393, 529.
  3. ↑ Wyse Jackson, P. S. (1990). "Nesocodon mauritianus: Campanulaceae". Curtis's Botanical Magazine. Blackwell Publishing. 7 (33): 113–117. doi:10.1111/j.1467-8748.1990.tb00153.x.


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