Pollination Biology and Evolutionary History of Angraecoid Orchids:
Pollination Biology and Evolutionary History of Angraecoid Orchids:
From Darwin to the Present Day
Darwin (1862) predicted that the pollinator of a star orchid, Angraecum sesquipedale, would be a hawkmoth (Chapter 1 and 4) with a proboscis long enough to reach the nectar hidden in the tip of the floral spur. This prediction was validated decades after his death. Authors in this chapter review and trace the history of Angraecum pollination and in flowers of allied genera endemic to islands off the coast of Africa. In fact, different species within this lineage evolved pollination systems dependent on long-tongued moths, a species of nectar-drinking birds, or by a nocturnal, raspy cricket. Some species self-pollinate.
Keywords: Angraecum, birds, cricket, islands, moth, nocturnal, raspy, spur
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