Orchids

Angraecum Sesquipedale is an orchid from Madagascar that made rounds in botanical circle when it proved a prediction that Darwin and his co-discoverer of natural selection, Wallace. This flower is also known as Darwin's Orchid, Christmas Orchid, Star of Bethelhem Orchid, King of Angraecums.

Angraecum Sesquipedale

This orchid has tubular nectaries that reach down more than 11 inches Darwin's own ruler. That's nearly 30 centimeters. A related Angarecum Longicalcar has nectar bearing spurs that are even longer upto 40 centimeter (more than 15 inches). Darwin, purely on the strength of A. sesquipedale's existence in Madagascar, predicted in his orchid book of 1862 that there must be moths capable of extension to a length of between 10 - 11 inches.

In 1903, after Darwin's death but well within Wallace's long lifetime, a hitherto unknown moth was discovered which turned out to fulfill the Darwin/Wallace prediction and was duly honoured with the sub-specific name praedicta. But even Xanthopan morgani praedicta, Darwin's hawk moth is not sufficiently well endowed to pollinate A. longicalcar and the existence of this flower encourages us to suspect the existence of an even longer-tongued moth.

Angraecum Longicalcar