Nectar

Nectar is a sweet, sticky liquid made by plants. It comes from special parts of the plant called nectaries, often found inside flowers. This sugary liquid helps attract animals like bees, butterflies, hummingbirds, and bats. These animals move from flower to flower and help the plants reproduce.

Because nectar is rich in sugar, it is important food for many pollinators. Bees, for example, use nectar to make honey to store for later. Nectar also helps other helpful insects survive. Some wasps that eat harmful pests use nectar for energy, which helps keep crops safe.

Nectar is not just for flowers. Some plants make it outside their flowers to attract animals that can protect them. This shows how nectar helps plants stay healthy and produce the fruits and seeds we enjoy.

Etymology

The word "nectar" comes from the Greek word νέκταρ, which means a magical drink of eternal life in old stories. People began using “nectar” to describe the sweet liquid in flowers around the year 1600.

Floral nectaries

A nectary, also called a honey gland, is a special part of a flower that makes nectar. Nectar is a sweet liquid that helps attract animals like bees, moths, hummingbirds, and bats. These animals eat the nectar and help the plant make seeds by moving pollen from one flower to another.

Nectaries can be found in many places in a flower, such as on the petals, sepals, or even the ovary. Some flowers have special shapes called spurs that help pollinators reach the nectar more easily. The amount of nectar changes depending on the flower's age and how often it is visited by pollinators.

Extrafloral nectaries

See also: Myrmecophily and Plant defenses against herbivory

Extrafloral nectaries are special parts on plants that make nectar. This nectar is not found in flowers but on leaves or leaf stems. They help protect plants from insects that might try to eat them. These nectaries attract helpful insects like ants and wasps. These insects eat the nectar and also keep away harmful insects, acting like guards for the plant.

Scientists have found these special nectaries in many plant species. They are most common in plants like beans and passion flowers. Some ferns also have them. These nectaries have been part of plants for millions of years.

Components

Nectar is made mostly of sugars like sucrose, glucose, and fructose. It also contains special plant chemicals called phytochemicals that help attract insects and birds that pollinate the flowers. Some of these chemicals, like alkaloids and polyphenols, might help protect the plant.

Plants use different smells and tastes in their nectar to draw in pollinators. For example, a tobacco plant from Utah uses a sweet smell to attract birds and moths. Nectar also includes water, essential oils, and many other useful compounds.

Similar attractive substances

Some plants need insects to help them make seeds, but they don’t always make nectar. Instead, they use other ways to attract insects. Some plants have special parts called elaiophores that make oils. Others have parts called osmophores that make nice smells. For example, orchids make special scents that can sound like animal perfumes to bring in insects. These scents come from tiny dome-shaped cells on their flowers, filled with thick material. Other plants, like some narcissus flowers, also release special smells to attract certain insects.