Why is nectar held inside the calyx cup of many mallow-family flowers?

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Baobab — Malvales A fony baobab tree (*Adansonia rubrostipa*), estimated to be more than 1,000 years old, in Madagascar.

In many members of the Malvaceae family, nectar is secreted by closely packed hairs located at the base inside the calyx. This nectar is held within the calyx cup, where it is accessed by pollinators such as birds and long-tongued insects that probe between the bases of the corolla.

The placement of this nectar within the calyx cup is associated with the fact that the corolla in these flowers is typically fused only at the base, allowing pollinators to reach the reward while facilitating the transfer of pollen.1