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Angraecum
''Angraecum'', also known as comet orchid, is a genus of the family Orchidaceae native to tropical and South Africa, as well as Sri Lanka. It contains 223 species. Etymology Despite the genus's distribution being largely confined to Africa and its offshore islands, the genus name is a latinization of the Indonesian and Malay word anggrek ("orchid"), itself ultimately from Javanese ꦲꦔ꧀ꦒꦿꦺꦏ꧀ (anggrék, "orchid"). Description Angraecums are quite varied vegetatively and florally, and are adapted to dry tropical woodland habitat and have quite fleshy leaves as a consequence. Most are epiphytes, but a few are lithophytes. The long-lasting flowers are racemose and grow from the leaf axils. They are mostly white, but a few are yellow, green or ochre. They all have a long spur at the back of the labellum (lip). In the case of '' Angraecum sesquipedale'', a species from Madagascar, on observing the spur in the lip, Charles Darwin made the hypothesis that, since th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
List Of Angraecum Species
''Angraecum'' is a genus of orchids (Orchidaceae), containing about 220 species. They are commonly known as comet orchids. Most live in the African region, many on Madagascar, and some elsewhere around the western Indian Ocean. A * '' Angraecum acutipetalum'' (Madagascar) * '' Angraecum affine'' (WC Tropical Africa to Uganda) * '' Angraecum alleizettei'' (C Madagascar) * '' Angraecum aloifolium'' (NW Madagascar) * '' Angraecum ambrense'' (N Madagascar) * '' Angraecum amplexicaule'' (NE Madagascar) * '' Angraecum ampullaceum'' (Madagascar) * '' Angraecum andasibeense'' (N & C Madagascar) * '' Angraecum andringitranum'' (SE Madagascar) * '' Angraecum angustipetalum'' (W & WC Tropical Africa to Malawi) * ''Angraecum ankeranense'' (C Madagascar) * '' Angraecum aporoides'' (Nigeria to WC Tropical Africa) * '' Angraecum appendiculoides'' (C Madagascar) * '' Angraecum arachnites'' Schltr. (C Madagascar) * '' Angraecum astroarche'' (São Tomé) * '' Angraecum atlanticum'' (Eq. Guinea & ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Angraecum Bracteosum
''Angraecum'', also known as comet orchid, is a genus of the family Orchidaceae native to tropical and South Africa, as well as Sri Lanka. It contains 223 species. Etymology Despite the genus's distribution being largely confined to Africa and its offshore islands, the genus name is a latinization of the Indonesian and Malay word anggrek ("orchid"), itself ultimately from Javanese ꦲꦔ꧀ꦒꦿꦺꦏ꧀ (anggrék, "orchid"). Description Angraecums are quite varied vegetatively and florally, and are adapted to dry tropical woodland habitat and have quite fleshy leaves as a consequence. Most are epiphytes, but a few are lithophytes. The long-lasting flowers are racemose and grow from the leaf axils. They are mostly white, but a few are yellow, green or ochre. They all have a long spur at the back of the labellum (lip). In the case of ''Angraecum sesquipedale'', a species from Madagascar, on observing the spur in the lip, Charles Darwin made the hypothesis that, since the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Angraecum Sesquipedale
''Angraecum sesquipedale'' , also known as Darwin's orchid, Christmas orchid, Star of Bethlehem orchid, and king of the angraecums, is an epiphytic orchid in the genus ''Angraecum'' endemic to Madagascar. The orchid was first discovered by the French botanist Louis-Marie Aubert du Petit-Thouars in 1798, but was not described until 1822. It is noteworthy for its long spur and its association with the naturalist Charles Darwin, who surmised that the flower was pollinated by a then undiscovered moth with a proboscis whose length was unprecedented at the time. Darwin's prediction went unverified for 21 years after his death, until Xanthopan, just such a moth was discovered and his conjecture vindicated. The story of its postulated pollinator has come to be seen as one of the celebrated predictions of the theory of evolution. Description ''Angraecum sesquipedale'' is a monopodial orchid and can grow to a height of . Its growth habit is rather similar to species in the genus ''Aerides'' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Angraecum Cadetii
''Angraecum cadetii'' is a species of orchid endemic to Mauritius and Réunion. It was named after botanist Thérésien Cadet. It is the only known flower known to be pollinated by a cricket, specifically by a species of raspy cricket: ''Glomeremus orchidophilus ''Glomeremus orchidophilus'' is a recently (2010) discovered species of raspy cricket found in the island of Réunion in the Mascarene Islands. It is the only known pollinator of the orchid Orchids are plants that belong to the family Orc ...''. References External links Video clip of ''Angraecum cadetii'' pollination* * cadetii Plants described in 1987 Orchids of Mauritius Orchids of Réunion {{Vandeae-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hawk Moth
The Sphingidae are a family of moths commonly called sphinx moths, also colloquially known as hawk moths, with many of their caterpillars known as hornworms. It includes about 1,450 species. It is best represented in the tropics, but species are found in every region.Scoble, Malcolm J. (1995): ''The Lepidoptera: Form, Function and Diversity'' (2nd edition). Oxford University Press & Natural History Museum London. They are moderate to large in size and are distinguished among moths for their agile and sustained flying ability, similar enough to that of hummingbirds as to be reliably mistaken for them. Their narrow wings and streamlined abdomens are adaptations for rapid flight. The family was named by French zoologist Pierre André Latreille in 1802. Some hawk moths, such as the hummingbird hawk-moth or the white-lined sphinx, hover in midair while they feed on nectar from flowers, so are sometimes mistaken for hummingbirds. This hovering capability is only known to have evolve ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Xanthopan Morganii Praedicta
''Xanthopan'' is a monotypic genus of sphinx moth, with ''Xanthopan morganii'' (often misspelled as "''morgani''"), commonly called Morgan's sphinx moth, as its sole species. It is a very large Sphingidae, sphinx moth from Southern Africa (Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi) and Madagascar. Little is known about its biology, though the adults have been found to visit orchids and are one of the main pollinators of several of the Madagascar endemic baobab (''Adansonia'') species, such as ''Adansonia perrieri'', or Perrier's baobab. History of discovery In January 1862 while researching insect pollination of orchids, Charles Darwin received a package of orchids from the distinguished horticulturist James Bateman (horticulturist), James Bateman, and in a follow-up letter with a second package Bateman's son Robert Bateman (artist), Robert confirmed the names of the specimens, including ''Angraecum sesquipedale'' from Madagascar. Darwin was surprised at the defining characteristic of this specie ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Xanthopan Morganii
''Xanthopan'' is a monotypic genus of sphinx moth, with ''Xanthopan morganii'' (often misspelled as "''morgani''"), commonly called Morgan's sphinx moth, as its sole species. It is a very large sphinx moth from Southern Africa (Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi) and Madagascar. Little is known about its biology, though the adults have been found to visit orchids and are one of the main pollinators of several of the Madagascar endemic baobab ('' Adansonia'') species, such as '' Adansonia perrieri'', or Perrier's baobab. History of discovery In January 1862 while researching insect pollination of orchids, Charles Darwin received a package of orchids from the distinguished horticulturist James Bateman, and in a follow-up letter with a second package Bateman's son Robert confirmed the names of the specimens, including '' Angraecum sesquipedale'' from Madagascar. Darwin was surprised at the defining characteristic of this species: the "astonishing length" of the whip-like green spur formi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Madagascar
Madagascar, officially the Republic of Madagascar, is an island country that includes the island of Madagascar and numerous smaller peripheral islands. Lying off the southeastern coast of Africa, it is the world's List of islands by area, fourth largest island, the List of island countries, second-largest island country, and the List of countries and dependencies by area, 46th largest country overall. Its capital and List of cities in Madagascar, largest city is Antananarivo. Following the prehistoric breakup of the supercontinent Gondwana, Madagascar split from Africa during the Early Jurassic period, around 180 million years ago, and separated from the Indian subcontinent approximately 90 million years ago. This isolation allowed native plants and animals to evolve in relative seclusion; as a result, Madagascar is a biodiversity hotspot and one of the world's 17 megadiverse countries, with over 90% of its wildlife of Madagascar, wildlife being endemic. The island has ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pollinator
A pollinator is an animal that moves pollen from the male anther of a flower to the female carpel, stigma of a flower. This helps to bring about fertilization of the ovules in the flower by the male gametes from the pollen grains. Insects are the major pollinators of most plants, and insect pollinators include all families of bees and most families of Aculeata, aculeate wasps; ants; many families of flies; many lepidopterans (both butterflies and moths); and many families of beetles. Vertebrates, mainly bats and birds, but also some non-bat mammals (monkeys, lemurs, Phalangeriformes, possums, rodents) and some lizards pollinate certain plants. Among the pollinating birds are hummingbirds, honeyeaters and sunbirds with long beaks; they pollinate a number of deep-throated flowers. Humans may also carry out artificial pollination. A pollinator is different from a pollenizer, a plant that is a source of pollen for the pollination process. Background Plants fall into pollination s ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Glomeremus Orchidophilus
''Glomeremus orchidophilus'' is a recently (2010) discovered species of raspy cricket found in the island of Réunion in the Mascarene Islands. It is the only known pollinator of the orchid Orchids are plants that belong to the family Orchidaceae (), a diverse and widespread group of flowering plants with blooms that are often colourful and fragrant. Orchids are cosmopolitan plants that are found in almost every habitat on Eart ... '' Angraecum cadetii''. It is also the only cricket known to pollinate a flower. References External links Video of ''Glomeremus orchidophilus'' hosted by BBC News{{Taxonbar, from=Q1954021 Insects described in 2010 Insects of Réunion Orchid pollinators Gryllacrididae ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mascarenes
The Mascarene Islands (, ) or Mascarenes or Mascarenhas Archipelago is a group of islands in the Indian Ocean east of Madagascar consisting of islands belonging to the Republic of Mauritius as well as the French department of Réunion. Their name derives from the Portuguese navigator Pedro Mascarenhas, who first visited them in April 1512. The islands share a common geological origin beneath the Mascarene Plateau known as the Mauritia microcontinent which was a Precambrian microcontinent situated between India and Madagascar until their separation about 70 million years ago. They form a distinct ecoregion with unique biodiversity and endemism of flora and fauna. Geography The archipelago comprises three large islands, Mauritius, Réunion, and Rodrigues, plus a number of volcanic remnants in the tropics of the southwestern Indian Ocean, generally between 700 and 1,500 kilometres east of Madagascar. The terrain includes a variety of reefs, atolls, and small islands. They presen ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
