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Coryphantha echinoidea
CACTUS ART
NURSERY
Cultivation and Mail Sale
of Cacti and Succulents.
Coryphantha echinoidea
SB26 Salinas, SLP, Mexico
The red extrafloral
nectaries attract the
ants
that defend
the plant against dangerous
herbivore insects.
Distribution:
It is found in the Mexican state of San Luis Potosí and
the bordering regions of Guanajuato and Nuevo León, subsequent to its
earliest
description it is assumed to grow in the East of Durango, but it is
almost certainly not found there.
The second hypothesis
is that they distract ants from foraging at the
floral nectaries, this might also serve as an
adaptation to reduce ant
visitation to flowers.
The third hypothesis
is the
nutrient enhancement. Ant colonies tend to concentrate on
nutrientsin the immediate vicinity of their nests - through storing food,
discarding debris, and defecating. Plants that bear extra floral nectar,
attract ant nests to their
base.
Moreover ants can play an
important rule in
distributing the seeds of these Coryphanthas. (see:
Myrmecochory )
All the information and photos
in cactus art file
are now available also in the new the
Enciclopedia of Cacti.
We hope you find this new site informative and useful.