I had an amazing opportunity to photograph a bunch of Hawaiian endemics back in 2021 and *Schiedea adamantis* and *Schiedea globosa* were among them. I shot them with facilitation from the Lyon Arboretum in the basement of their seed lab. Since then I think a little disproportionately about this genus with its weird traits.
One of those is really strongly revealed in the UVIVF photos – copious nectar production! Nectar sugars typically exhibit strong blue fluorescence under UVA light which makes it quite striking when presented this abudantly. I think the jury is still out, but blue fluorescence has some implication in playing a role in pollinator attraction, and on this plant which is otherwise almost universally green, it makes one wonder, especially when it is trending toward a dioecious habit!
The *S. globosa* (not pictured here) is another oddity, possessing both a rather intense fragrance and wind pollination, a trait believed to be developing in a response to the loss of its traditional pollinators.
2 Comments
I had an amazing opportunity to photograph a bunch of Hawaiian endemics back in 2021 and *Schiedea adamantis* and *Schiedea globosa* were among them. I shot them with facilitation from the Lyon Arboretum in the basement of their seed lab. Since then I think a little disproportionately about this genus with its weird traits.
One of those is really strongly revealed in the UVIVF photos – copious nectar production! Nectar sugars typically exhibit strong blue fluorescence under UVA light which makes it quite striking when presented this abudantly. I think the jury is still out, but blue fluorescence has some implication in playing a role in pollinator attraction, and on this plant which is otherwise almost universally green, it makes one wonder, especially when it is trending toward a dioecious habit!
The *S. globosa* (not pictured here) is another oddity, possessing both a rather intense fragrance and wind pollination, a trait believed to be developing in a response to the loss of its traditional pollinators.
Anyway, learning about [the new published species](https://www.reddit.com/r/botany/comments/1g0cx0t/schiedea_waiahuluensis_the_first_plant_species/) today made me think it would be a nice opportunity to share some more about this wild genus!
Sick! Were you working with Nate and Don?