Ceratocaryum
Appearance
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
[edit]- ^ a b "Tropicos | Name - Ceratocaryum Nees". www.tropicos.org. Retrieved 2017-07-23.
- ^ Nees von Esenbeck, Christian Gottfried Daniel. 1836. Natural System of Botany 451.
- ^ a b "World Checklist of Selected Plant Families: Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew". apps.kew.org. Retrieved 2017-07-23.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "How to Dupe a Dung Beetle". The New Yorker. 5 October 2015. Retrieved 2017-07-23.
- ^ 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. doi:10.1038/nplants.2015.141. ISSN 2055-0278. PMID 27251393. S2CID 20722232.