Septal nectary

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A septal nectary is nectar-producing tissue that is found in the wall of a plant ovary.[1] Septal nectaries function as a way of attracting pollinators.[2] Plants that rely on insects, birds, or bats for pollination often have septal nectaries. Aside from attracting pollinators, septal nectaries have also been known to attract "plant protectors." Some plants, like Ruellia radicans, have nectaries that continue to secrete pollen even after the petals have been shed. This attracts ants which will in turn protect the developing fruits of the plant from seed predators and herbivores in exchange for nectar.[3]

References

  1. ↑ Judd, Walter S., Christopher S. Campbell, Elizabeth L. Kellog, Peter F. Stevens, and Michael J. Donoghue. Plant systematics a phylogenetic approach. 3rd ed. Sunderland, MA: Sinauer Associates, Inc., 2007.
  2. ↑ Sajo, M. G.; Rudall, P. J.; Prychid, C. J. (2004). "Floral anatomy of Bromeliaceae, with particular reference to the evolution of epigyny and septal nectaries in commelinid monocots". Plant Systematics and Evolution 247 (3–4). doi:10.1007/s00606-002-0143-0. 
  3. ↑ Gracie, C. (The New York Botanical Garden, Bronx, NY 10458-5126). Observation of dual function of nectaries in Ruellia radicans (Nees) Lindau (Acanthaceae). Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 118: 188-190. 1991.
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