Mauritian red bell tree

Red bell trees are only found on Mauritius and some nearby islands in the Indian Ocean. They are very unusual in having colored nectar, which can be seen if you look carefully into the flower - and if you do so, you can see that it has yellow nectar..

Worldwide, there are very few species with colored nectar, and most of them grow in Mauritius. Studies have shown that day geckos of the genus Phelsuma pollinate the flowers, when they visit to drink nectar.

Experiments have been carried out which show that the geckos prefer colored nectar to the clear colorless nectar that most other flowers produce.

There are 6 species of red bell trees and all are very rare and threatened with extinction in their natural habitats. Mauritian red bell tree is the least endangered of the species.

Fact box:

• Greenhouse location: Tropican house
• Danish name: Mauritiansk rødklokketræ
• Latin name: Ruizia blackburniana
• Family: Mallow family / Malvaceae
• Natural habitat: Mauritius