Ongoing debate about specialisation vs generalisation in plant–pollinators interactions highlights the reliability of pollination syndrome traits as predictors of the primary pollinator of a species. The South African Watsonia knysnana (Iridaceae) is a case in point as its tubular corolla is consistent with ornithopilous floral traits to attract sunbirds (specialist nectarivore passerines) but the range of colours exhibited covers syndromes that would predict both birds and insects. From exclusion experiments we identified sunbirds as the most effective pollinators of W. knysnana with honeybees playing a minor role, if any. In addition, the nectar properties (concentration and volume) conform to plants pollinated mainly by specialist nectarivorous birds.
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Bestea et al. (2019) studied this question.
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