Monocot leaves are eaten less than dicot leaves in tropical lowland rain forests: correlations with toughness and leaf presentation.

Background And Aims: In tropical lowland rain forest (TLRF) the leaves of most monocots differ from those of most dicots in two ways that may reduce attack by herbivores. Firstly, they are tougher. Secondly, the immature leaves are tightly folded or rolled until 50-100 % of their final length.

Native or Exotic? Double or Single? Evaluating Plants for Pollinator-friendly Gardens.

In a series of dawn-to-dusk studies, we examined the nature and accessibility of nectar rewards for pollinating insects by monitoring insect visits and the secretion rate and standing crop of nectar in the British native plant species Salvia pratensis , Stachys palustris , S. officinalis , Lythrum salicaria , Linaria vulgaris , the non-native Calendula officinalis , Petunia  ×  hybrida , Salvia splendens , and the possibly introduced Saponaria officinalis . We also compared single with double variants of Lotus corniculatus , Saponaria officinalis , Petunia  ×  hybrida and Calendula officinalis .