May '26

As our guide through this matter, let us choose Angraecum sesquipedale — a Madagascan orchid whose blossom bears a nectar spur nearly half a metre long, while the nectar itself rests only at the very bottom of this narrow tube.

Why would any flower make access to its nectar so complicated? Most flowers are not especially selective in matters of love. They are generally content with nearly any pollinator, whom they reward with sweet nectar in return. Their blossoms are therefore usually round, wide open, and easily accessible. Almost anyone is welcome. Why then does the Angraecum pursue a different strategy?

Charles Darwin posed precisely the same question. His conclusion was simple: since the plant was endemic solely to Madagascar, somewhere upon that island there must exist a creature with a proboscis long enough to reach the nectar. And it was precisely the favour of such a pollinator that this orchid sought.

No creature of such proportions had ever been observed, and Darwin’s hypothesis was therefore met with considerable scepticism. The nocturnal moth Xanthopan, equipped with its monstrous proboscis, was discovered only long after Darwin’s death — thus denying the old naturalist his vindication. Nevertheless, the discovery proved crucial, confirming the remarkable predictive power of evolutionary theory and the fact that love indeed blossoms in every shape.