There are a few plants that have evolved remarkable flower shapes and colors that mimic hummingbirds. These plants have adapted these unique features to attract pollinators. The flowers may look like hummingbirds in shape, color, or behavior. This phenomenon is an extraordinary example of the intricate coevolution between plants and pollinators. Plants rely on pollinators like birds and insects to transfer pollen between flowers for reproduction. To attract specific pollinators, plants have evolved specialized floral traits like color, shape, size, and scent. When pollinators visit the flowers, they are rewarded with nectar. It’s a win-win relationship for both the plant and pollinator.
Passiflora mixta
One of the most stunning examples of a flower that resembles a hummingbird is Passiflora mixta, a species of passion flower vine native to the rainforests of Ecuador and Peru. Passiflora mixta has large, brightly colored, exotic looking flowers about 5-8 cm wide with distinct floral parts that mimic the wings, tails, feet, and long bills of hummingbirds.
The petals are elongated and brightly colored red, orange, or yellow with fringed edges. These bright colors and fringed edges create the illusion of feathers on a hummingbird’s body. At the center of the flower are contrasting white and purple reproductive parts shaped like a hummingbird’s head and beak. The stamens and stigmas stick out to resemble the long, thin bill of a hummingbird dipping into the flower to drink nectar. Below the head is a set of blue structures shaped like feet and tails. The incredible detail in the flower’s specialized structures is what gives it an uncanny resemblance to a hummingbird in flight.
Pollination
Passiflora mixta flowers rely on hummingbirds like the Sparkling Violetear for pollination. When the hummingbird inserts its beak into the flower to drink the nectar, pollen from the anthers sticks to its head and body. When the hummingbird visits the next P. mixta flower, this pollen brushes off onto the stigma resulting in pollination. The mutualistic relationship benefits both the plant, which gets pollinated, and the bird, which gets food. This coevolutionary partnership has resulted in the striking hummingbird-shaped flowers of Passiflora mixta.
Growing Conditions
In its native tropical climate, Passiflora mixta grows as a climbing vine up trees and structures in moist forests at elevations around 1300-2000 meters. The vines can reach lengths of 9 meters or more. Passiflora mixta thrives in indirect sunlight and high humidity, with average temperatures of 18°C – 23°C. The plant flowers during the dry season between December and March. When grown outside its natural range, P. mixta requires greenhouse conditions that mimic the warm, humid environment of the tropics.
Clusia rosea
Another tropical plant that has hummingbird-shaped flowers is Clusia rosea, an epiphytic plant native to Panama and South America. This unique plant is a member of the Clusiaceae family. One of the most distinctive features of C. rosea is the color and shape of its flowers which look just like small, hovering hummingbirds reaching into the flower with their long bills to drink nectar.
Flower Description
The flowers of Clusia rosea are approximately 2 cm wide. The petals are elongated and curved into a cup-like shape. The petals are bright red with shades of orange, yellow, and pink towards the tips, reminiscent of the iridescent feathers of hummingbirds. Inside the cup-shaped petals is a raised central pod that contains the stamens and stigma. This central pod is bright white with tints of purple, looking just like the pale bill and head of a hummingbird. Below this “head” structure are five curved, pink structures that resemble feet and tails.
Pollination
Like P. mixta, Clusia rosea’s hummingbird-shaped flowers have evolved to attract ornithophilous pollinators. When hummingbirds feed on the nectar, they get doused in pollen which they carry to other C. rosea blooms. This specialized pollination syndrome is essential for reproduction in C. rosea. In fact, these plants cannot self-pollinate and entirely rely on hummingbirds like the purple-crowned woodnymph and green-crowned brilliant. The shape, color, and abundance of nectar perfectly accommodate the hummingbirds’ anatomy and behavior.
Growing Conditions
In its native habitat, Clusia rosea grows as an epiphytic vine in tropical lowland and premontane moist forests, at elevations around 600-1500 meters. C. rosea grows best in indirect sunlight and high humidity, preferring stable temperatures between 18°C – 27°C. This plant flowers year-round in the wild with peak blooming in the dry season. Clusia rosea is difficult to cultivate outside its natural environment, requiring greenhouse conditions.
Ceropegia linearis
Ceropegia linearis is a fascinating plant native to South Africa that has flowers which look and act like trapdoor spiders or small suspended hummingbirds. This unique succulent is a member of the Apocynaceae family. It gets the common names spider flower, lantern flower, and hummingbird flower.
Flower Description
The flowers of Ceropegia linearis hang upside down on thread-like pedicels and consist of a tubular corolla that forms a long, suspended chamber. The petals are brownish-purple with white veins, resembling the colors of a spider or feathers. At the bottom tip of the corolla is a translucent collar area where the corolla attaches to the pedicel.
Within the tubular corolla are reproductive parts resembling a body suspended in the tube. At the top is a broad, flat white and maroon structure that looks like the suspended body of a spider. Below this is a long thin spike with a swollen maroon tip mimicking the head and bill of a hummingbird. Even the nectaries inside resemble suspended droplets of nectar. Overall, the flower looks like a spider dangling in its web or a tiny hummingbird feeding upside down.
Pollination
To reach the nectar inside, pollinators like flies and bees must enter through the translucent collar area at the suspended bottom tip of the corolla tube. As the insects move up the tube, pollen rubs off on them. When they visit the next flower, pollination occurs. The unique chambers essentially trap the insects inside to ensure pollen transfer. Only small flies and bees can fit through the entrance, perfectly matching the anatomy of C. linearis’ co-evolved pollinators.
Growing Conditions
Ceropegia linearis thrives in arid, well-drained soils in full sun to partial shade conditions. They grow from tuberous roots that should be planted just below the soil surface. In the wild, these plants grow on rocky cliffsides and slopes. C. linearis does best in average room temperatures between 18°C – 24°C and moderately dry conditions found in succulent greenhouses. Outdoors, C. linearis can be grown in zones 10-12. Plants bloom in late summer and autumn.
Conclusion
Plants have evolved incredible adaptations like the hummingbird flower to ensure pollination and reproductive success. While multiple tropical plants mimic these small, quick birds, a few of the best examples are Passiflora mixta, Clusia rosea, and Ceropegia linearis. Their specialized flowers demonstrate amazing coevolution between plants and pollinators. Next time you see a unique flower, take a closer look at its specialized features and see what pollinator it has adapted to attract. The natural world contains endless wonders when you look closely.
| Plant | Native Region | Flower Description |
|---|---|---|
| Passiflora mixta | Ecuador, Peru | Large, colorful petals resembling wings and tails; reproductive parts shaped like hummingbird heads and bills |
| Clusia rosea | Panama, South America | Cup-shaped red and orange petals; white and purple central pod resembling head and bill; pink structures resembling feet |
| Ceropegia linearis | South Africa | Tubular brownish-purple corollas with suspended interior structures resembling a spider body or hummingbird head and bill |
Key Points
- Passiflora mixta has brightly colored fringed petals and detailed reproductive structures shaped like a hummingbird’s body and beak.
- Clusia rosea flowers have cup-shaped, colorful petals, a long white and purple “bill”, and pink “feet” and “tails”.
- Ceropegia linearis flowers hang upside-down and have a suspended interior structure that looks like a spider body or hummingbird head and bill.
- These plants have evolved highly specialized flower shapes and colors to attract hummingbird pollinators.
- The flowers provide food for the birds, while the birds carry pollen between flowers, benefiting both species.
