Taxon

Babiana ringens

 
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Babiana ringens - rotstert, rat's tail
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Common name: rotstert, rat's tail
Family: Iridaceae (Iris)
Distribution: Western Cape
Habitat: Sandy areas
IUCN Red list: Not evaluated
National red list: Least Concern
Life form: Geophyte (bulb, corm or tuber - seasonally dormant)
Comments: This is a very interesting Babiana which has evolved a strategy to ensure pollination not by insects, but by birds. Specifically, it is pollinated by the Malachite sunbird (Nectarinia famosa), a small nectarivorous bird. These birds need perches to feed, not something small geophytes usually have. However, Babiana ringens has evolved to produce a sterile flowering stalk that extends past its other fertile flowers on which the sunbirds can perch to feed and pollinate the flowers. This Cape bulb is widespread and still very common, especially after a fire.
Links: In Defense of Plants • iNaturalist.org • Pacific Bulb Society • Red List of South African Plants • Wikipedia

Locations

  • 1: Bulb collection (BULB) • Accession: 2014-327 • Origin: South Africa • Provenance: Wild
  • 2: Bulb collection (BULB) • Accession: 2014-952 • Origin: South Africa • Provenance: Wild
  • 3: Nursery areas • Accession: 2014-316 (4)‎ • Origin: South Africa • Provenance: Wild
  • 4: Nursery areas • Accession: 2014-327 • Origin: South Africa • Provenance: Wild
  • 5: Nursery areas • Accession: 2014-608 • Origin: South Africa • Provenance: Wild
  • 6: Seed Store Freezer 1 (SS freeze1) • Accession: 2023-403 • Origin: South Africa • Provenance: Wild
  • 7: Seed Store • Accession: 2017-36 • Origin: South Africa • Provenance: Garden - wild origin
Cluster Area Area
Individual Individual