3# – "Darwin's Orchid," the Madagascar Star Orchid

Voice: Deb Springer I’m Deborah Springer and I’d like to tell you about an unusual and fascinating orchid. The Madagascar Star Orchid, also known as “Darwin’s orchid,” blooms only once a year. Charles Darwin suggested that this species and its pollinator, the hawk-moth, provided a dramatic example of co-evolution - how plants and their pollinators influence each other. This flower grows an incredibly long tubular extension, called a nectar spur, up to 11 inches long. A very long spur forces a moth to rub its face in the pollen as it reaches for the nectar. This successfully pollinates the orchid. Over time, the hawk-moth responded to the difficulty of reaching the nectar, its main food source, by growing an even longer tongue. Eventually the moth could reach the nectar without touching the pollen. So the orchid responded by growing an even longer nectar spur, which forced the moth to pollinate it. When Darwin first proposed this scenario, the orchid had been discovered, but the hawk-moth had not. Darwin believed the orchid’s impressive nectar spur must have co-evolved with a pollinator. Therefore, he suspected a moth with an equally impressive long tongue surely must exist in Madagascar. Everyone doubted Darwin, until 40 years later… when a hawk-moth was discovered in Madagascar - with a 10-inch tongue.

You can listen to 3# – "Darwin's Orchid," the Madagascar Star Orchid online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

3# – "Darwin's Orchid," the Madagascar Star Orchid is an episode from Missouri Botanical Garden Orchid Show 2008 by Missouri Botanical Garden.

This episode is 1:37 long.

This episode was published on Feb 15, 2008.

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