Mucuna holtonii seeds grow into a liana native to the wet tropical biome from central Mexico south to Colombia. Described by (Kuntze) Moldenke. The epithet holtonii honours Isaac Farwell Holton (18121874), American missionary and botanist who collected plants in Colombia and New Granada. Uniquely famous in botanical literature as one of the first documented examples of bat-pollination with acoustic signalling: the flowers have a concave petal that serves as an acoustic reflector, allowing nectar-feeding bats to detect and distinguish between nectar-bearing and depleted flowers using echolocation the plant changes the acoustic signature of its petals after a bat visit to signal that the flower has been emptied. Used in traditional medicine. Family Fabaceae.

Full sun to partial shade; moist, well-drained soils; warm wet tropical conditions. Vigorous liana; requires sturdy support. Bat-pollinated; worth planting near forested areas to attract pollinators.

• ‘Holtonii’ honours I.F. Holton (18121874), American botanist in Colombia; (Kuntze) Moldenke; bat-pollinated
• Famous for acoustic bat signalling petal reflectors signal nectar status to bats via echolocation changes
• Central Mexico to Colombia wet tropical biome; vigorous liana; medicine uses
• Genus Mucuna: ~105 species; Tropics & Subtropics; velvet beans; Family Fabaceae; Order Fabales
• Full sun/partial shade; moist soils; warm tropical; vigorous liana; bat-pollinated; Family Fabaceae

Mucuna holtonii Holton’s velvet bean is one of the botanical world’s most extraordinary examples of bat-plant coevolution: its flowers have evolved concave petals that act as acoustic mirrors, allowing nectar-feeding bats to navigate to them by echolocation and then in a remarkable innovation to detect whether each flower is already empty or still worth visiting, all without any visual cues.

IMPORTANT: Pictures show the adult plant, which is not for sale. The offer is only for seeds.