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Hawkmoth-pollination in <I>Crinum variabile</I> (Amaryllidaceae) and the biogeography of sphingophily in southern African Amaryllidaceae
Abstract
The flowers of Crinum variabile (Amaryllidaceae) exhibit
the characteristics of sphingophily, including a long-tubed, pale-coloured
perianth that expands more fully at night, a strong sweet fragrance dominated
by the acyclic terpenoid alcohol, linalool and abundant nectar. The hawkmoth Hyles
lineata (Sphingidae) was recorded as a pollinator of the species. A total
of 22 species of southern African Amaryllidaceae in the genera Crinum, Cyrtanthus and Pancratium conform
to the syndrome of sphingophily. Sphingophilous species of Amaryllidaceae are
widely distributed across southern Africa, most commonly in savannah and grassland
but are almost absent from the winter-rainfall parts of the region. The uneven
distribution of these species in southern Africa correlates with a shortage
of appropriate larval food plants in the Cape Region.
South African Journal
of Botany 2002, 68: 212–216
the characteristics of sphingophily, including a long-tubed, pale-coloured
perianth that expands more fully at night, a strong sweet fragrance dominated
by the acyclic terpenoid alcohol, linalool and abundant nectar. The hawkmoth Hyles
lineata (Sphingidae) was recorded as a pollinator of the species. A total
of 22 species of southern African Amaryllidaceae in the genera Crinum, Cyrtanthus and Pancratium conform
to the syndrome of sphingophily. Sphingophilous species of Amaryllidaceae are
widely distributed across southern Africa, most commonly in savannah and grassland
but are almost absent from the winter-rainfall parts of the region. The uneven
distribution of these species in southern Africa correlates with a shortage
of appropriate larval food plants in the Cape Region.
South African Journal
of Botany 2002, 68: 212–216
