School of Botany

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A thesis presented to the University of Melbourne for the degree of Master of Science

Rowan, K. S. (University of Melbourne, 1949)
[Nectar secretion]

Wykes, Gwenyth Ruth ( 1945)

Greek mythology contains the earliest references to nectar, which, to the ancients, signified the drink of the gods. The term later acquired a botanical meaning, being restricted to the sugar-containing liquid which many plants produce, usually on some floral surface. Writers from the time of Aristotle spoke of this production of nectar in flowers, but only in an incidental or superficial fashion, and no record of thorough investigation into this process exists until the eighteenth century. From this period, the early work consisted mainly of morphological and anatomical studies of the tissues which produced nectar, while more recent workers have determined the chemical composition of nectar, and the varying factors which appear to influence nectar secretion. In the following discussion it may be seen that valuable work has been carried out in these fields, but that the nature of the processes leading to nectar secretion, and its possible physiological significance, are not fully understood.