In London, one fateful day in 1862, Charles Darwin, the father of evolutionary biology, received a parcel from James Bateman (a famous orchid grower), containing a live specimen of a peculiar orchid.
Why was the orchid peculiar? All insect-pollinated flowers produce nectar from an organ known as a nectary. Nectar is bait for pollinators. In exchange for pollen moving from one flower to another, the insects get a sweet drink!
The peculiar aspect of this orchid is that the nectary is at the bottom of a tube that is over one foot long! “Good heavens…” Darwin exclaimed, writing to his friend Joseph Hooker. “What insect can suck it…”. The nectary was well out of reach of any insect documented at the time. Why would the Star Orchid make the reward for pollination impossible to reach?
Angraecum sesquipedale – now commonly known as Darwin’s Star Orchid is a plant found exclusively in Madagascar. White in color, the flower gives off a strong pleasant odor at night to attract pollinators active during that time.
Most nighttime pollinated flowers are quite distinct from daytime pollinated flowers. Rather than bright shades of yellow and pink, white is the most common color as this is the most visible in starlight and moonlight. Instead of bees and ants, bats and moths take the night shift!