Nesocodon

Life-forms

Classification System: APG IV

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Cladus: Orthokaryota
Cladus: Neokaryota
Cladus: Photokaryota
Cladus: Diaphoretickes
Cladus: CAM
Regnum*: Archaeplastida
Regnum: Plantae
Regnum*: Viridiplantae
Cladus: Streptophyta
Cladus: Phragmoplastophyta
Cladus: Embryophyta
Cladus: Polysporangiophyta
Divisio*: Tracheophyta
Cladus: Eutracheophyta
Cladus: Euphyllophytina
Cladus: Megaphylla
Cladus: Radiatopses
Cladus: Lignophyta
Cladus: Metalignophyta
Diviso*: Spermatophyta
Classis*: Angiospermae
Cladus: Mesangiospermae
Cladus: Eudicota
Cladus: Core eudicots
Cladus: Asterids
Cladus: Campanulids
Ordo: Asterales

Familia: Campanulaceae
Subfamilia: Campanuloideae
Genus: Nesocodon
Species: N. mauritianus
Name

Nesocodon Thulin, Kew Bull. 34: 813 (1980)
monotypic taxon

References

Thulin, M. (1980) Kew Bulletin, 34: 813.
Govaerts, R. et al. 2014. Nesocodon in Kew Science Plants of the World Online. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published online. Accessed: 2014 July 15. Reference page.
Tropicos.org 2014. Nesocodon. Missouri Botanical Garden. Published online. Accessed: 15 July 2014. Reference page.

International Plant Names Index. 2014. Nesocodon. Published online. Accessed: July 15 2014. Reference page.

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 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.[1] The introduced 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

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
Olesen, J. M., et al. (1998). Mauritian red nectar remains a mystery. Nature 393, 529.
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.