Many species have leaves with structures that attract ants that protect the plant from herbivore insects ( a form of Extrafloral nectaries are common among the Mimosoideae and the Caesalpinioideae, and are also found in some Faboideae ( e . g . " Vicia sativa " ).
32.
"Lissocarpa " species share various characters with other members of Ebenaceae, e . g ., the black color of roots and bark, extrafloral nectaries on abaxial leaf surfaces, a persistent calyx, unisexual flowers, biovulate carpels with pendulous ovules, and a similar wood anatomy producing a hard, dark heartwood timber similar to ebony.
33.
In exchange, " V . collinsii " not only provides the ants with hollow thorns in which to live, but also produces lipid-and protein-rich food bodies, known as Beltian bodies, on the tips of new leaflets, which are consumed by the ants and are critical for larval growth . " Vachellia collinsii " also provides the ants with sugar-rich nectar from extrafloral nectaries located at the leaf petiole.
