Mucuna holtonii
Species of legume / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Mucuna holtonii is a species of plant in the bean family, which is pollinated by bats. Bats are able to detect if the flowers have nectar using echolocation.[2][3] After an initial bat visit during which nectar is removed, the petals are arranged in a different manner (altering the shape of the flower). As a result, the unique "echo fingerprint" of petal arrangement informs the bat whether nectar is present or absent.
Quick Facts Mucuna holtonii, Scientific classification ...
Mucuna holtonii | |
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Mucuna holtonii, inflorescence | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Clade: | Rosids |
Order: | Fabales |
Family: | Fabaceae |
Subfamily: | Faboideae |
Genus: | Mucuna |
Species: | M. holtonii |
Binomial name | |
Mucuna holtonii | |
Synonyms | |
Stizolobium holtonii[1] |
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It is thought that the plant evolved acoustically conspicuous structures to make them easier to detect by glossophagine bats.[3]