stemona
Stemona tuberosa Lour.
Stemona tuberosa is a flowering plant species in the Stemonaceae family, native to regions including China, India, Southeast Asia, and parts of Oceania. It is known for its unique seed dispersal mechanism involving hornets and ants.
Description
Stemona tuberosa (Lour.) is a species in the Stemonaceae family. It is distributed across several regions, including China South-Central, China Southeast, Hainan, India, Bangladesh, Assam, Thailand, Vietnam, and others. The plant relies on hornets for seed dispersal. Hornets bite off the seed along with its elaiosome, carry it approximately 100 meters, and then discard it after chewing off the elaiosome. The seed is likely to be collected by ants and taken into their nests, facilitating germination in a favorable environment.
Other common names
stemona
Distribution
TW · Assam · Bangladesh · Cambodia · China South-Central · China Southeast · Hainan · India · Laos · Lesser Sunda Is. · Maluku · Myanmar · New Guinea · Philippines · Sri Lanka · Taiwan · Thailand · Vietnam
Synonyms
Stemona gloriosoides