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Twisting flowers

19/6/2015

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Picture Butterfly orchid. Bewdley Orchids
Butterfly orchid, Platanthera chlorantha.
It is sometimes a surprise to people, even experienced growers of orchids what a convoluted process it is for an orchid to come into flower. While tropical orchid growers may recognise the twisting of the flower bud, it is usually forgotten that our native orchids do the same thing. The flower bud starts just like any other flower and then twists through 180 degrees before opening. This photograph of a Butterfly orchid taken from the side shows exactly this with the twist in the stem. These lovely flowers are pollinated by long-tongued moths that can reach down to the nectar at the end of the spur, which is clearly visible. Interestingly, these plants were common around Shrewsbury when Darwin was growing up and he probably witnessed the moths pollinating them, which allowed him to make the suggestion that it was a hawk moth with a long tongue which was the pollinator of Angraecum orchids from tropical Africa long before the moth was discovered. The similarity of structure between the butterfly orchid and the tropical moth pollinated orchids is striking. 
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    Author

    Dr Wilson Wall, grower of orchids. A scientist by inclination and training.

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