Ammoniacal Nectar. Purple Toothwort, Lathraea clandestina, Hortus Botanicus, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

            That sounds pretty awful, doesn't it: ammoniacal nectar? And it doesn't improve if you add to it an alkaline taste. In this apparently our human taste experience is quite similar to that of ants and the like that might otherwise if Toothwort's nectar were sweeter make a beeline to 'rob' this ground-hugging, parasitical plant not leaving enough for Bumblebees. Those little animals are too small to assist in seed production by way of that high-hanging pistil. But Bumblebees are just the right size for their backs to dust pollen onto Toothwort's pistil. Bumblebees - so I've learned from some scientific papers - don't mind that ammoniacal-alkaline taste. So they've got that nectar all to themselves.
Purple Toothwort is a parasite. If you examine it carefully you will find no green leaves - and thus no chlorophyll for energy - but only white tuberous 'suckers' which underground attach to to the roots of deciduous trees such as Poplars and Willows (but also others) from which they draw sugary nutrients especially in Spring. Once seed is formed with the help of our Bumblebees the plant will 'shoot' it away. With luck it will germinate and bring forth these Purple flowers after as long as a decade. The Hortus has three clumps of them in a shady area.
   

Taken in: Nederland / Noord-Holland / Amsterdam / De Jordaan (show map)

Taken on: April 26, 2019

Tags:

Hortus Botanicus, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Bumblebee

Poplar

Willow

deciduous trees

Purple Toothwort

ammoniacal nectar

alkaline

parasite

chlorophyll

pollen

pistil

seed

Lathraea clandestina « less

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Camera: Olympus TG-3, f/4.0, 1/250 sec, 12.6mm, ISO 400 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Olympus TG-3
Aperture:	f/4.0
Exposure Time:	0.004 sec (1/250)
Focal Length:	12.6mm
ISO:	400
Exposure Bias:	0 EV
Flash:	Off, Did not fire
Exposure Program:	Creative (Slow speed)
Exposure Mode:	Auto
Metering Mode:	Multi-segment
White Balance:	Auto
Gain Control:	High gain up
Color Space:	sRGB
Software:	PaintShop Pro 18,00
Show full info

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