Nectary
The gland that secretes nectar — usually inside a flower, and sometimes not.
Botany
Definition
Floral nectaries sit at the base of the flower, often at the bottom of a corolla tube, and their depth decides which insects can reach the reward. Their position is the mechanism behind tongue-length filtering: red clover's nectaries sit 9-10 mm down, which is beyond a honey bee's roughly 6 mm reach.
Where the word gets used loosely
Double-flowered garden cultivars frequently have the nectaries converted into extra petals. A double hellebore or pompom dahlia can look magnificent and offer literally nothing, which is the single most consequential thing to know when buying plants for bees.
Honey records that discuss this
See also
Other botany terms
Sources
Sources
- Field Guide to the Bees of Great Britain and Ireland — Bloomsbury (2015) · Field guide
How sources are selected and weighted is set out in the sources and evidence policy.