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Why do cuckoo pints attract insects?
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 | | The flowers of the cuckoo pint eventually produce a spike of red berries. These are eaten by birds, but are poisonous to humans. |
Lured by a foul smell, flies are attracted into a swollen chamber at the base of the cuckoo pint flower. This contains the reproductive parts of the flower. The insects are trapped by backward-pointing hairs. Some flies carry pollen from other cuckoo pints and fertilise the flower while trapped.
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Previous:
Back
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Book:
1001
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Section:
Nature
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Chapter:
Unusual Plants
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