The cheval tree is native to North Island, part of the

Agaléga Islands Agaléga (french: îles Agaléga) is a dependency of Mauritius which consists of two outer islands located in the Indian Ocean, about north of Mauritius Island. The population of the islands as at July 2011 was estimated at 289. The islands h ...

, a territory of

Mauritius Mauritius ( ; french: Maurice, link=no ; mfe, label=Mauritian Creole, Moris ), officially the Republic of Mauritius, is an island nation in the Indian Ocean about off the southeast coast of the African continent, east of Madagascar. It incl ...

. It is unique in its properties of minor adhesivity, which attracts

insects Insects (from Latin ') are pancrustacean hexapod invertebrates of the class Insecta. They are the largest group within the arthropod phylum. Insects have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body (head, thorax and abdomen), three pairs of j ...

: specifically, heelwalkers (belonging to the Mantophasmatodea) or '' Formosozoros newi'' (belonging to the

Zoraptera The insect order (biology), order Zoraptera, commonly known as angel insects, contains small and soft bodied insects with two forms: winged with wings sheddable as in termites, dark and with eyes (compound) and ocelli (simple); or wingless, pale ...

). The tree was named for the glue-like secretion of its bark and the use of horse-hooves for glue in former times—the

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

word (French is the colonizing

language Language is a structured system of communication. The structure of a language is its grammar and the free components are its vocabulary. Languages are the primary means by which humans communicate, and may be conveyed through a variety of met ...

of Agalega) for "horse" is "cheval".

The cheval and the Agalega day gecko

In a

symbiotic Symbiosis (from Greek , , "living together", from , , "together", and , bíōsis, "living") is any type of a close and long-term biological interaction between two different biological organisms, be it mutualistic, commensalistic, or parasit ...

relationship, the

Agalega day gecko Agalega day gecko (''Phelsuma borbonica agalegae'' Cheke, 1975) is a subspecies of geckos. General introduction This diurnal gecko only lives on the Agaléga Islands. It typically inhabits coconut trees or cheval trees. The Agalega day geck ...

(''Phelsuma borbonica agalegae'') feeds off the insects trapped in the viscous, though thin,

sap Sap is a fluid transported in xylem cells (vessel elements or tracheids) or phloem sieve tube elements of a plant. These cells transport water and nutrients throughout the plant. Sap is distinct from latex, resin, or cell sap; it is a separa ...

while depositing its vitamin-rich droppings at the base of the tree. Though this may seem to more resemble

commensalism Commensalism is a long-term biological interaction (symbiosis) in which members of one species gain benefits while those of the other species neither benefit nor are harmed. This is in contrast with mutualism, in which both organisms benefit fro ...

than not, the droppings do in fact provide a registrable gain for the cheval tree, though it is not nearly as great as the free and ample sustenance gained by the

gecko Geckos are small, mostly carnivorous lizards that have a wide distribution, found on every continent except Antarctica. Belonging to the infraorder Gekkota, geckos are found in warm climates throughout the world. They range from . Geckos ar ...

. Scientists have yet to come up with a satisfactory explanation for this strange "selflessness" on the cheval's behalf, and have set up a research station in the Agalega town of

Vingt-Cinq Vingt-Cinq (''Twenty-five'' in French) is the capital of the Agaléga Islands, two islands in the Indian Ocean, governed by Mauritius Mauritius ( ; french: Maurice, link=no ; mfe, label=Mauritian Creole, Moris ), officially the Republic of ...

Government of Mauritius
{{webarchive, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120919112938/http://www.gov.mu/portal/site/Mainhomepage/menuitem.a42b24128104d9845dabddd154508a0c/?content_id=dad4d575d1a88010VgnVCM100000ca6a12acRCRD , date=2012-09-19 for further study.

References

Flora of Mauritius