Nesocodon

Last updated

Nesocodon
Nesocodon mauritianus 07 04 Philweb (19228890139).jpg
Nesocodon mauritianus at the Conservatoire botanique national de Brest, France in 2015 july
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Asterales
Family: Campanulaceae
Subfamily: Campanuloideae
Genus: Nesocodon
Thulin [1]
Species:
N. mauritianus
Binomial name
Nesocodon mauritianus
(I.B.K.Richardson) Thulin [1]

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.

Contents

Description

Vegetative characteristics

Nesocodon mauritianus is a 30–40 cm big [2] dwarf shrub [1] with simple, woody, [2] straggly [3] , glabrous stems bearing deep furrows from leaf scars. [2] The spirally arranged, [2] glossy, [3] lanceolate leaves with a serrate margin and an acute apex are 6 cm long, and 0.6 cm wide. [2]

Generative characteristics

The lateral, 1-flowered inflorescence [1] is produced in the leaf axils of the upper leaves. [2]

Taxonomy

It was first described as Wahlenbergia mauritianaI.Richardson by I.Richardson in 1979. [2] [4] It was placed into a new monotypic genus NesocodonThulin as Nesocodon mauritianus(I.Richardson) Thulin by Mats Thulin in 1980. [1] [5] It is closely related to Heterochaenia from the Mascarene Islands, but has single flowers rather than panicles of several. [6]

Ecology

It was the first plant ever discovered to produce 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 function as nectar thieves. [7] The introduced red-whiskered bulbul (Pycnonotus jocosus) robs it of its nectar. [8]

Conservation

It is a threatened species. [3]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Thulin, M. (1980). Nesocodon, a New Genus in Campanulaceae. Kew Bulletin, 34(4), 813–814. https://doi.org/10.2307/4119073
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Richardson, I. B. K. (1979). A Distinctive New Species of Wahlenbergia (Campanulaceae) from Mauritius. Kew Bulletin, 33(4), 547–550. https://doi.org/10.2307/4109796
  3. 1 2 3 Coleman, M. (2017, July 6). Nesocodon mauritianus. Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh. Retrieved July 26, 2025, from https://stories.rbge.org.uk/archives/25796
  4. ↑ Wahlenbergia mauritiana I.Richardson. (n.d.). International Plant Names Index. Retrieved July 26, 2025, from https://www.ipni.org/n/145835-1
  5. ↑ Nesocodon Thulin. (n.d.). Plants of the World Online. Retrieved July 26, 2025, from https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:5769-1
  6. ↑ Wyse Jackson, P. S. (1990). "Nesocodon mauritianus: Campanulaceae". Curtis's Botanical Magazine. 7 (33). Blackwell Publishing: 113–117. doi:10.1111/j.1467-8748.1990.tb00153.x.
  7. ↑ 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
  8. ↑ Olesen, J. M., et al. (1998). Mauritian red nectar remains a mystery. Nature 393, 529.


This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.