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J.J. Armesto et al.
Hummingbird Flowers
Fourteen plant species that grow in the study area were visited by
the hummingbird Sephanoides galeritus, as shown in Table 12.3. This
assemblage of hummingbird-visited plants includes six species of vines
and epiphytes, two hemiparasites, four shrubs, and two tree species. As a
group, they represent 23% of all the flowering plant species listed for the
study area by Smith-Ramirez & Armesto (1994). Colors of flowers are
predominantly red or pink, except in the case of the bromeliad Fascicularia
bicolor, where the base of the leaves becomes bright red during the
flowering season. Visits of Sephanoides galeritus to all these species have
been recorded at various times during the year (Smith-Ramirez, 1993).
In addition, pollen of Embothium coccineum, Fuchsia magellanica,
Notanthera heterophylla, Tristerix corymbosus, Philesia magellanica and
three species of Gesneriaceae have been recovered from the bodies of 23
hummingbirds caught in mist nets in the study area (Smith-Ramirez,
1993). Other studies (Riveros, 1991) show that the flowers of most
Table 12.3. Species Visited by Hummingbirds in the Rainforest of Chiloe
Species
Life Form
Flower
Breeding Pollinator
Color
System!
Dependence/ %
Astherantera ovata
Epiphyte
Red
SI
0
Campsidium
Vine
Red
?
valdivianum
Crinodendrum
Shrub
Red
?
hookerianum
Desfontainia
Shrub
Red/yellow SI
0
spinosa
Embothrium
Tree
Red
PI
0
coccineum
Escallonia rosea
Shrub
Pink
SC
0
Fascicularia bicolor Epiphyte
Light blue" ?
Fuchsia megellanica Shrub
Red/violet
SC
10
Mitraria coccinea
Epiphyte
Red
SC
0
Notanthera
Hemiparasite Pink
?
heterophylla
Pink
Philesia magellanica Shrub, vine
?
Rhaphithamnus
Tree
Violet
PI
5
spinosus
Sarmienta repens
Epiphyte
Red
?
Tristerix
Hemiparasite Red
?
corymbosus
1 From data in Riveros (1991). Sf = totally self-incompatible ; SC = totally self-compatible;
PI = partly self-incompatible .
2 Percentage of flowers that form fruit in the absence of pollinator.
3 Basal leaves surrounding the .inflorescence are bright red .