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Old 26-04-2003, 01:27 PM
P van Rijckevorsel
 
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Default poisonous seed dissemination?

Thank you.

My hypothesis, such as it is, is that when it comes to seed-dispersal fruits
may be specialists or generalists. Berries are easy: any animal may take a
bite (and this will include some seeds). Berries are generalists. On the
other hand drupes must be eaten whole if the seed is to be swallowed and
require an animal of a certain minimum size (related to the size of the
drupe). As such they are more specialized than berries.

The hypothesis further supposes that as a color for signalling ripeness the
typical color of berries (green-red-black) are general signals to all
comers, especially red.

Drupes being more specialistic would tend to use other colors (blue, purple)
to put out a more directional signal, ie limited to their special partners.

As with all such things this may not apply in a single form across all
continents and climates, but first appearences hint that there may be
something in it?
PvR

==============
David Hershey schreef
Donald Wyman's book, "Shrubs and Vines for American Gardens" has a list of

blue-fruited vines and shrubs and lists 14 genera, 13 if you
include Mahonia in Berberis. He has Callicarpa on his purple list.

Of his 14 genera with blue fruited species, ten have drupes, three

have berries (Berberis, Mahonia and Vaccinium) and one a capsule
(Gaultheria).

David R. Hershey



"P van Rijckevorsel" wrote
I am not claiming anything, just noting that I see something that looks

like a pattern and trying to test if it has substance ...

FWIW all websites treating farkleberry seem to describe the berries as

black, eg http://www.floridata.com/ref/V/vacc_arb.cfm
PvR

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