Dr. Kim Valenta recently published a paper on the unusual nutritional qualities of a pantropical flowering tree, Symphonia globulifera. Although red-tailed monkeys (Cercopithecus ascanius) in the mountains of East Africa seldom consume large quantities of flowers as part of their regular diets, each spring magnificent bright red flower displays from S. globulifera, a tree that grows dozens of meters tall and towers over the Afromontane rainforest canopy, attract their attention. Working with a team of nutritional scientists, this publication reports on the surprising nutritional value of these bright red flowers—fat—a nutrient that can be very hard to come by for monkeys in these forests. It is likely that the fatty red flowers are meant to attract birds who pollinate the tree, and bulk up on its nectar before their long spring migration to north Africa and Europe. The monkeys have somehow figured out that these flowers aren’t just beautiful, but highly nutritious as well!
Ross, A. C., Bryer, M. A., Chapman, C. A., Rothman, J. M., Nevo, O., and Valenta, K. (2022). Why eat flowers? Symphonia globulifera flowers provide a fatty resource for red-tailed monkeys, Folia Primatologica doi: https://doi.org/10.1163/14219980-20211003
For more information on primatology at UF, please visit Dr. Valenta’s website.