Ceratocaryum

Ceratocaryum
Ceratocaryum argenteum
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Monocots
Clade:	Commelinids
Order:	Poales
Family:	Restionaceae
Genus:	Ceratocaryum Nees
Type species
Ceratocaryum argenteum Nees ex Kunth. [1]

Ceratocaryum is a group of plants in the Restionaceae described as a genus in 1836. ^{[1] [2]} The entire genus is endemic to Cape Province in South Africa. ^[3]

Two species in this genus, Ceratocaryum argenteum and Ceratocaryum pulchrum , have an unusual seed dispersal method. Its berries mimic the appearance and smell of antelope droppings. This tricks dung beetles into gathering and burying them. ^{[4] [5] [6]}

Species ^[3]

• Ceratocaryum argenteum Nees ex Kunth
• Ceratocaryum caespitosum H.P.Linder
• Ceratocaryum decipiens (N.E.Br.) H.P.Linder
• Ceratocaryum fimbriatum (Kunth) H.P.Linder
• Ceratocaryum fistulosum Mast.
• Ceratocaryum persistens H.P.Linder
• Ceratocaryum pulchrum H.P.Linder
• Ceratocaryum xerophilum (Pillans) H.P.Linder

References

1. "Tropicos | Name - Ceratocaryum Nees". www.tropicos.org. Retrieved 2017-07-23.
2. Nees von Esenbeck, Christian Gottfried Daniel. 1836. Natural System of Botany 451.
3. "World Checklist of Selected Plant Families: Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew". apps.kew.org. Retrieved 2017-07-23.
4. Midgley, J. J., White, J. D. M., Scholtz, C. H., & Johnson, S. D. (2021). "Seed dispersal by dung beetles in Ceratocaryum pulchrum (Restionaceae): Another example of faecal mimicry in plants." South African Journal of Botany, 137, 365-368.
5. "How to Dupe a Dung Beetle". The New Yorker. 5 October 2015. Retrieved 2017-07-23.
6. Midgley, Jeremy J.; White, Joseph D. M.; Johnson, Steven D.; Bronner, Gary N. (2015-10-05). "Faecal mimicry by seeds ensures dispersal by dung beetles". Nature Plants. 1 (10): 15141. Bibcode:2015NatPl...115141M. doi:10.1038/nplants.2015.141. ISSN   2055-0278. PMID   27251393. S2CID   20722232.