Massonia depressa down to earth pollination

Massonia depressa is one of ten species of the Massonia genus in South Africa, a member of the Hyacinthaceae family. These plants commonly occur in the western, southern and eastern parts of the country, from the west coast through the Karoo and Free State to the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal. This one was photographed in the West Coast National Park during winter. 

The ground-level flowers capitalise on an unusual opportunity: they find pollinators among small animals like rodents, including gerbil, who can reach, visiting them at night. These plants have been found to produce little seed when the rodents can’t access the flowers and the task is left to insects.

The nectar of M. depressa is unusually sticky, which makes it less attractive to insects, but good for the rodents. The plants have been found to secrete more nectar at night for the benefit of their benefactors, making the arrangement more mutually effective.

There are also proteas with flowers benefiting from rodent pollination (Manning, 2007; www.amjbot.org).