In this episode of Dig Deeper, join Soléne Dequiret, Princess of Wales Conservatory Supervisor to learn about Darwin’s orchid, a spectacular species found only in Madagascar that posed a pollination mystery for some of the world’s most famous naturalists. With its nectar tucked away at the end of a spur over a foot long, meet the plant that had Darwin asking: “Good heavens what insect can suck it”, and even help him develop his famous theory of evolution.
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TIMESTAMPS
0:00 Let’s Dig Deeper…
0:27 Introduction to the Princess of Wales Conservatory
0:53 Meet the orchids
1:17 Angraecum sesquipedale
2:39 Only found in Madagascar
2:55 The nectar spur
3:24 The Christmas orchid
3:47 From seed to flower
4:48 Darwin’s pollinator theory
5:44 Visit Darwin’s orchid
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