EXPLORE THE REFERENCE
Explore the relationships behind the flowers, from nectar spurs and night fragrance to the research that helps explain them.
Pollination
Xanthopan praedicta is the Malagasy subspecies of the hawkmoth Xanthopan morganii. Its extraordinarily long proboscis (over 20 cm) matches the 30‑cm nectar spur of Angraecum sesquipedale, fulfilling Charles Darwin’s 1862 prediction of a…
Read the article: Xanthopan praedicta: The Moth That Confirmed Darwin’s Orchid PredictionPollination
Both Charles Darwin (1862) and Alfred Russel Wallace (1867) correctly predicted that the Madagascan orchid Angraecum sesquipedale would be pollinated by a hawkmoth with an exceptionally long proboscis. The moth, Xanthopan morganii praedicta, was…
Read the article: Darwin, Wallace, and the Prediction of a Long‑Tongued MothPollination
Angraecum orchids are mainly pollinated by long‑tongued hawkmoths, but research shows that some species also use birds, crickets, or can self‑pollinate. The classic Darwin prediction about a moth with a proboscis matching…
Read the article: Angraecum Pollination: What Research Reveals About Flowers and PollinatorsPollination
Many Angraecum species emit their strongest scent after dusk because the fragrance is a targeted lure for nocturnal hawkmoth pollinators. The scent, often a blend of volatile oxime compounds, coincides with the…
Read the article: Why Some Angraecum Orchids Release Fragrance at NightPollination
Angraecum sesquipedale, the “Darwin’s orchid” of Madagascar, bears a nectar spur up to 45 cm long. Charles Darwin predicted that only a moth with an equally long proboscis could pollinate it, a prediction…
Read the article: Darwin’s Orchid (Angraecum sesquipedale) and Its Predicted Hawk‑Moth PollinatorMEET THE ORCHIDS BEHIND THE STORIES
Explore names, native ranges, and the details that make each species its own.