- published: 26 Jan 2014
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Nectar is a sugar-rich liquid produced by plants. It is produced in glands called nectaries, either within the flowers, in which it attracts pollinating animals, or by extrafloral nectaries, which provide a nutrient source to animal mutualists, which in turn provide anti-herbivore protection. Common nectar-consuming pollinators include bees, butterflies and moths, hummingbirds and bats.
Nectar is an ecologically important item, the sugar source for honey. It is also useful in agriculture and horticulture because the adult stages of some predatory insects feed on nectar.[examples needed]
Nectar secretion increases as the flower is visited by pollinators. After pollination, the nectar is frequently reabsorbed into the plant.
Nectar is derived from Latin nectar, the favored drink of the gods, which in turn is the Latinized version of Greek νέκταρ, néktar, presumed to be a compound of the PIE roots *nek-, "death", and -*tar, "overcoming", i.e. has a similar etymology to ambrosia, the immortality-conferring food of the gods. The earliest recorded use of its current meaning, "sweet liquid in flowers," is 1609 C.E.