Nectar (Nectary)
Plants
produce nectar to attract and reward
animals that do essential services for them.
Nectar
is produced from a gland called a nectary. The nectary takes sugars that the plant has
developed through photosynthesis and secretes them in a water-based
solution. This rich food is essential to
many bees, butterflies, insects and birds.
Each
plant species has evolved to use or not use nectar in a way that benefits
it. Some plants offer nectar near the
base of the flower to attract pollinators.
Others put nectaries on stems and leaves to attract insects that will
repel herbivores.
Buck Brush. Photo by Keir Morse.
Hounds Tongue. 5 white nectaries reflect ultraviolet light, easily seen by bees. Photo by Alf Fengler.
Ants protect the plant from herbivores. Here, an ant visits a nectary on a stem. Photo by Beatriz Moisset
Many
nectars emit sweet-smelling scent molecules into the air that make the plant
smell fragrant to us and other animals. This helps pollinators find the plant,
sometimes from a long way off.
See
here
for more on how taste and smell work.
Want
more about nectar? See Wikipedia.
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