Keywords :
Mammalian Pollinators; Mucuna macrocarpa
บทคัดย่อ :
Many angiosperms are pollinated by animals. Among them, certain species are pollinated exclusively by mammals, although mammal-pollinated plants are fewer in number than insect-pollinated plants. Mammal-pollinated plants are known from many taxa which reviewed by Fleming and Kress. In addition, specific groups of mammals are known pollinators. The most well-known of these are bats, but various non-flying mammals pollinate plants. This study focuses on Mucuna (Leguminosae). Genus Mucuna includes more than 100 species and this genus is distributed throughout tropics and subtropics. Mucuna has inflorescences with relatively large flowers and this genus has been considered to be pollinated by bats or birds specifically. Among pollinators of Mucuna species, this study reviews the behavior of Mucuna macrocarpa s mammalian pollinators and its flower structure. In addition, we discuss the challenges of pollination studies in this genus. Mucuna macrocarpa is an evergreen woody vine. It produces 30-50 cm long
inflorescences bearing 10-30 flowers with purple and pale green petals (Fig. 1). Matured flowers emit a fermentation-like odor. Mucuna macrocarpa is distributed from Southeast Asia to Japan. In Thailand, it occurs in evergreen and mixed forests in the central to northern regions. In the subtropics or temperate regions, it occurs in evergreen forests. The flowering season changes annually and locally, and is thought to take place over one or two months between January and May.
เอกสารอ้างอิง :
Kobayashi, S., Denda, T., Liao, C.-C., Placksanoi, J., Waengsothorn, S., Aryuthaka, C., Pnaha, S. and Izawa, M. (2018). Regional differences in mammalian pollinators of Mucuna macrocarpa (Leguminosae): a review. Tropical Natural History, 8(2): 135-146.
