''Axinaea affinis'' is a species of

tree In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, including only woody plants with secondary growth, plants that are ...

in the family Melastomataceae. It is native to mountainous regions of the Andes in South America in Peru and Ecuador. Its natural

habitat In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...

is subtropical or tropical moist

montane forest Montane ecosystems are found on the slopes of mountains. The alpine climate in these regions strongly affects the ecosystem because temperatures fall as elevation increases, causing the ecosystem to stratify. This stratification is a crucial f ...

Description

''Axinaea affinis'' is a large shrub or small tree. The inflorescences are terminal pannicles of flowers with parts in five. The calyx is blunt and the petals are oblong or obovate and white or flushed with pink, red or purple. The stamens are black with bright orange inflated appendages. The ovary is superior and the fruit is a many-seeded capsule.

Ecology

Most members of the family Melastomataceae are pollinated by buzz pollination, a technique whereby certain species of bee are able to create vibrations that loosen the pollen when they visit the blooms, but the flowers of members of the genus ''

Axinaea ''Axinaea'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Melastomataceae. As of 2012, there are at least 42 species.Bussmann, R. W., & Zambrana, N. P. (2012)''Axinaea ninakurorum'' (Melastomataceae)− a new species from the northern Peruvian Me ...

'' have unique appendages to their

stamen The stamen (plural ''stamina'' or ''stamens'') is the pollen-producing reproductive organ of a flower. Collectively the stamens form the androecium., p. 10 Morphology and terminology A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filame ...

s and are pollinated by birds. These flowers do not produce nectar, but the appendages are inflated and bulbous and have a high sugar content, and birds find them attractive to eat. As the bird plucks and grasps the bulbous portion with its beak, air is forced out through a small orifice, carrying a puff of pollen which lands on the face and neck of the bird. As the bird feeds on other flowers, transfer of pollen is likely to occur. Some pollen lands in the centre of the flower which means that some self-pollination probably occurs. Another factor that raises pollination rates in some populations of the tree, is simultaneous flowering. The birds and the flowers have co-evolved and if habitat destruction were to reduce the population of pollinating birds, the tree might become extinct, unless other pollinators filled the gap.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q15386096 Flora of Ecuador affinis