Nectary

Definition

A specialized secretory gland in vascular plants that produces nectar, a sugar-rich liquid that attracts and rewards animal visitors. Nectaries occur either within flowers (floral nectaries), where they facilitate pollination by insects and other animals, or on vegetative plant parts (extrafloral nectaries), where they mediate defensive mutualisms with ants, wasps, and other arthropods that protect the plant from herbivores.

Etymology

From New Latin nectarium, from nectar, the sugary fluid of Greek mythology conferring immortality.

Example

The extrafloral nectaries at the leaf bases of Vicia faba (broad bean) secrete sucrose-rich droplets that attract tending ants, which aggressively remove aphids and other herbivores.

Related Terms

• nectar
• extrafloral nectary
• floral nectary
• pollination
• mutualism
• myrmecophily
• gland

Usage Notes

Floral and extrafloral nectaries are functionally distinct: the former primarily attract pollinators, while the latter recruit bodyguards. Nectary morphology varies widely—disk, spur, or embedded tissue—and may be vascularized or non-vascularized. In entomological literature, 'nectary' typically refers to the glandular source rather than the secreted product (nectar). Some authors restrict 'nectary' to floral glands, using 'extrafloral nectary' explicitly for vegetative glands.