Euphorbia polychroma, more commonly called cushion spurge, really does seem to glow; and ants, not normally considered pollinators, really do pollinate spurge. Without wings to fly from plant to plant and with secretions on their bodies that kill most pollen grains, ants can’t pollinate many species. Spurge and a few other plants, however, seem made for ant pollination.
Low-growing spurge produces runners, which make traveling from plant to plant easier for an ant; and spurge produces a type of pollen that an ant’s secretions do not kill. So, rather than just stealing nectar from my glowing cushion spurge as it does with most other flowers, this black garden ant can perform the miraculous act of pollination. Really!
To really see the glow of my cushion spurge, you could take a look on black. :-)
