Scientific Name: Angraecum sesquipedale
Common Name: comet orchid
Family: Orchidaceae
Origin: Madagascar
Prominently on display in the tropical Conservatory at Selby Gardens’ is the magnificent Angraecum sesquipedale. This dramatic Angraecum is not only a beautiful orchid but has a fascinating history that supports the theory of natural selection and will only be in bloom for a short time, so make sure to see it while on display.
The comet orchid was first discovered in exotic Madagascar during the early 1800’s. It’s white, waxy flowers are fragrant at night, luring nocturnal rainforest insects with their seductive scent. Early European biologists were puzzled by the fact that the nectar reward for the hungry pollinators was contained at the bottom of the flowers’ unusually long nectar spurs, out of their reach.
English naturalist Charles Darwin became interested in this orchid species, and in 1862 he theorized that for this plant to have evolved such a long nectar spur, there must be an insect with an equally long proboscis (mouthpart) to pollinate it. He received ridicule form the scientific community at his suggestion that such a bizarre creature must exist, but 21 years after his death, a subspecies of the Morgan’s sphinx moth with a 12” proboscis was discovered in the Madagascar rainforest, and it was indeed a pollinator of the gorgeous comet orchid.
Marie Selby Botanical Gardens is a respected research based garden—it’s one of the many ways the gardens differ from other botanical gardens. An Orchid Research Center (ORC) was established to conduct scientific studies of living and preserved, wild or cultivated species orchids. Over the years ORC staff and many volunteers have amassed a collection of more than 20,000 taxonomic reference files, a large collection of books on orchid science and horticulture, and a large collection of photographic slides and digital images. Learn more at https://s33944.p20.sites.pressdns.com/botany/orchid-programs/.