Abstract
The major pigment responsible for the dark brown nectar of the "bird's Coca cola tree", Leucosceptrum canum (Labiatae), was isolated and identified as a unique symmetric proline-quinone conjugate, 2,5-di-(N-(-)-prolyl)-para-benzoquinone (DPBQ). Behavioral experiments with both isolated and synthetic authentic samples indicated that DPBQ functions mainly as a color attractant to bird pollinators.
Publication types
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Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
MeSH terms
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Animals
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Benzoquinones / chemical synthesis
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Benzoquinones / chemistry*
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Birds*
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Lamiaceae / chemistry
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Pigments, Biological* / chemistry
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Plant Nectar / chemistry*
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Pollination
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Proline / analogs & derivatives*
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Proline / chemical synthesis
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Proline / chemistry
Substances
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2,5-di-(N-prolyl)-para-benzoquinone
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Benzoquinones
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Pigments, Biological
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Plant Nectar
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Proline