Melianthus comosus: Difference between revisions
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'''''Melianthus comosus''''' ('''Honey flower''') is a [[species]] of [[flowering plant]] in the [[family (biology)|family]] Melianthaceae. It is native to the mostly dry regions of southern Africa. The attractive shrubs are popular garden subjects. |
'''''Melianthus comosus''''' ('''Honey flower''') is a [[species]] of [[flowering plant]] in the [[family (biology)|family]] Melianthaceae. It is native to the mostly dry regions of southern Africa. The attractive shrubs are popular garden subjects. The [[Afrikaans language|Afrikaans]] name '''Kruidjie-roer-my-nie''' (''herb-touch-me-not'') alludes to the unpleasant smell that results from bruising of any part of the plant.<ref name=harris>{{cite web |last=Harris |first=Shireen |title=Melianthus comosus Vahl |url=http://www.plantzafrica.com/plantklm/melicomo.htm |work=plantzafrica |publisher=Free State National Botanical Garden| date = September 2004 | accessdate=2 May 2014}}</ref> |
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==Range== |
==Range== |
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The multi-stemmed shrub is native to [[South Africa]], [[Lesotho]] and [[Namibia]], where it occurs from 400 to 2,000 m above sea level.<ref name=han/> In South Africa it |
The multi-stemmed shrub is native to [[South Africa]], western [[Lesotho]] and southern [[Namibia]], where it occurs from 400 to 2,000 m above sea level.<ref name=han/> In South Africa it occurs in the greater part of the Cape and Free State provinces, and locally in North West, Gauteng and Mpumalanga. |
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==Flowers== |
==Flowers== |
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Revision as of 10:56, 2 May 2014
| Honey flower | |
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| Scientific classification | |
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| Species: | M. comosus
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| Binomial name | |
| Melianthus comosus Vahl, 1794
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| Synonyms | |
Melianthus comosus (Honey flower) is a species of flowering plant in the family Melianthaceae. It is native to the mostly dry regions of southern Africa. The attractive shrubs are popular garden subjects. The Afrikaans name Kruidjie-roer-my-nie (herb-touch-me-not) alludes to the unpleasant smell that results from bruising of any part of the plant.[3]
Range
The multi-stemmed shrub is native to South Africa, western Lesotho and southern Namibia, where it occurs from 400 to 2,000 m above sea level.[2] In South Africa it occurs in the greater part of the Cape and Free State provinces, and locally in North West, Gauteng and Mpumalanga.
Flowers
The flowers which produce copious black nectar[note 1] are zygomorphic in shape, and green to pale pink in colour.[2][4] The black nectar is visible through the pale green, semi-transparent sepals. A flower produces an average of 42 μl of nectar a day, with a 10% sugar content. The flowers are visited by birds and insects.[2] Vahl's description of the species in 1794 however omitted any mention of the coloured nectar, or its abundance.
Notes
- ^ Also described as dark brown but J. Henning records that black nectar is found in M. comosus, M. elongatus and M. villosus, and brown nectar in the remaining species.
References
- ^ "Melianthus comosus Vahl". The Plant List. Retrieved 1 May 2014.
- ^ a b c d Hansen, Dennis M. (2007). "Coloured nectar: distribution, ecology, and evolution of an enigmatic floral trait" (PDF). Biological Reviews. 82 (1): 83–111. doi:10.1111/j.1469-185X.2006.00005.x. Retrieved 1 May 2014.
{{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter|coauthors=ignored (|author=suggested) (help) - ^ Harris, Shireen (September 2004). "Melianthus comosus Vahl". plantzafrica. Free State National Botanical Garden. Retrieved 2 May 2014.
- ^ Curtis’s Botanical Magazine. 9: Plate 301. 1795.
{{cite journal}}: Missing or empty|title=(help)
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