Reproductive morphoanatomy of Tripodanthus belmirensis (Loranthaceae), a key nectar and fruit source for native birds in Colombia’s Central Cordillera
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Floral diversification in the widespread Loranthaceae reaches its greatest expression in the Andes, spanning entomophilous species to ornithophilous taxa. Tripodanthus, a genus restricted to South America, comprises three species with medium-sized flowers. Among them, the threatened T. belmirensis, endemic to Colombia’s Central Cordillera, displays ornithophilous red to orange corollas that contrast sharply with the entomophilous, whitish flowers of its congeners T. acutifolius and T. flagellaris. We examined the reproductive traits of the little-known T. belmirensis. Its flowers possess six free petals that form an actinomorphic, tubular, fenestrate corolla, and three long stamens alternating with three short ones, all epipetalous. The ovary is three-locular, each locule containing a highly reduced ovule. Only a single dicotyledonous embryo develops per flower, surrounded by a massive compound endosperm, while the remaining embryo sacs arrest early in development. The fruits consist of a dry, indehiscent pericarp enclosed by a viscin-rich epicarp. In the absence of a seed coat, the embryo and endosperm lie directly against the pericarp. Together, the substantial viscin layer and endosperm provide abundant nutritive resources for frugivorous birds, particularly the Indigo-winged parrot (Hapalopsittaca fuertesi, Psittacidae: Arinae), an endemic and critically endangered species of Colombia’s Central Cordillera.
Source: Flora
Institutions: Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Universidad de Antioquia
Language: English
Topic: Plant and animal studies
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $2,900
OpenAlex ID: W7147718938