|
This member of the Orchidaceae
family was described by Carl Peter Thunberg in 1822. It is found in
the forests of the eastern lowlands of Madagascar, mainly growing
as an epiphyte. It will grow up to 40 centimetres, receiving lots of
water and not much if any direct sun. The flowers are white with a
spur up to 35 centimetres deep.
Charles Darwin theorized that,
since the nectar was at the bottom of the spur, a pollinator must
exist with a tongue at least as long as the spur. Many years later
(1903), the moth; Xanthopan morgani praedicta was
discovered.
Subfamily:
Epidendroideae
Tribe:
Vandaeae
Subtribe:
Angraecinae |
