Pollination of Dipcadi saxorum Blatt. (Asparagaceae: Scilloideae)

Pollination of Dipcadi saxorum Blatt. was studied in Thane and Mumbai suburban districts, Maharashtra, India, during the flowering season from June to August for a period of two years. The flowers are nocturnal, producing scent and nectar at nightfall, which extends up to morning hours, attracting many visitors. The study shows that the species is self-incompatible and that its foul-acrid odour is mainly because of aldehydes and esters. Settling moths, Heliothus peltigera and Chrysodexis acuta, as well as hovering moths, Macroglossum stellatarum and Cephanodes hylas, are pollinators of D. saxorum Blatt.