Edit Plant: Angraecum sesquipedale

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'''''Angraecum sesquipedale''''' (also called '''Darwin's orchid''', '''Christmas orchid''', '''Star of Bethlehem orchid''', and '''King of the Angraecums''') is an [[epiphytic]] orchid in the genus ''[[Angraecum]]'' that is 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.<ref>Petit-Thouars, ''Histoire Particulière des Plantes Orchidées Recueillies sur les trois Isles Australs d'Afrique'' (1822)</ref> 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 then unprecedented. His prediction had gone unverified until 21 years after his death when the 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. ''Angraecum sesquipedale'' is a [[monocot]] with [[monopodial]] growth and can get to a height of {{convert|1|m|ft|1|sp=us}}. Its growth habit is rather similar to species in the genus ''[[Aerides]]''.[[Image:Angraecum sesquipedale02.jpg|140px|thumb|left|''A. sesquipedale'' flowers.]]The leaves are dark green with a bit of a grayish tone and leathery with a bilobed tip. They are usually around {{convert|20|–|40|cm|in|sp=us|1}} long and {{convert|6|–|7|cm|in|abbr=on|1|abbr=on}} wide. The roots are dark gray, thick, and emerge from the orchid's stem. There tends to be few roots and they attach to the bark of the trees quite strongly.<ref name="Ellis">William Ellis (1858). ''Three Visits to Madagascar during the years 1853-1854-1856, including a journey to the capital; with notices of the natural history of the country and of the present civilisation of the people.''</ref>There are also two variations of this species known as ''A.&nbsp;sesquipedale'' var. ''sesquipedale'' and ''A.&nbsp;sesquipedale'' var. ''angustifolium''.<ref>Bosser & Morat, Adansonia, n.s., 12: 77 (1972).</ref><ref>The Kew checklist lists ''A.&nbsp;sesquipedale'' var. ''sesquipedale'', but it doesn't provide any references to the literature in which it is described and so its possible that this variation simply doesn't exist.</ref> ''A.&nbsp;sesquipedale'' var. ''angustifolium'' tends to be smaller than ''A.&nbsp;sesquipedale'' and has narrower leaves.<ref name="book">Joyce Stewart, Johan Hermans, and Bob Campbell, (2006). ''Angraecoid Orchids: Species from the African Region [ILLUSTRATED] (Hardcover)'', Timber Press, ISBN 0881927880.</ref> The [[ploidy|chromosome number]] of ''A.&nbsp;sesquipedale'' is 2n=42.<ref>Jones, Keith. ''The Chromosomes of Orchids: II: Vandeae Lindl.'', p.151</ref> ''A.&nbsp;sesquipedale'' has also previously gone by the [[synonym (taxonomy)|synonyms]] ''Aeranthes sesquipedalis'' Lindl. (1824),<ref>Flora 68: 381. 1885.</ref> ''Macroplectrum sesquipedale'' Pfitzer (1889),<ref>Die Natürlichen Pflanzenfamilien 2(6): 215. 1889.</ref> ''Angorchis sesquepedalis'' Kuntze (1891),<ref>Revisio Generum Plantarum 2: 651. 1891.</ref> ''Mystacidium sesquipedale'' Rolfe (1904),<ref>Orchid Review 12: 47. 1904.</ref> and ''Angraecum bosseri'' Senghas (1973). It is often found in lowlands in [[Madagascar]] at altitudes below {{convert|100|m|ft|abbr=on}}, near the east coast of the island, and on trees that are at the edge of forests. Usually it is attached to trees with fewer leaves and to areas of the branch or trunk that are driest. This allows the plant to obtain a great deal of light and air movement. Rarely ''A.&nbsp;sesquipedale'' is also found growing as a [[lithophyte]] and sometimes even as a semi-terrestrial.<ref name="Ellis"/> The orchid lives in an environment with heavy rainfall, up to {{convert|150|in|cm|abbr=on}} per year. There is no [[dry season]] so the [[growing season]] is continuous.<ref name="book2"> Charles Marden Fitch (2004). ''The best orchids for indoors'', Brooklyn Botanic Garden, ISBN 1889538604.</ref> {{Inc| Macroplectrum sesquipedale, Pfitz. (Angraecum sesquipedale, Thouars. Aeranthus sesquipedalis, Lindl.). Sts. 2-3 ft. tall: lvs. oblong-ligulate, 12 in. long and up to 2 in. broad, unequally 2-lobed: peduncle 2-5-fld.; fls. 5-7 in. across, fleshy, ivory-white; sepals and petals similar, acuminate; Up oblong-ovate, cordate, acuminate, irregularly serrate. Madagascar. }} Star-like waxy flowers are produced on {{convert|30|cm|in|1|abbr=on}} [[inflorescences]] arising from the stem from June to November in the wild with most flowers wilting by August. When cultivated in [[Europe]] however, the plant flowers between December and January. This flowering habit is what lends the orchid several of its [[common name]]s, such as "Comet orchid" due to the shape of its flower and "Christmas orchid" due to the timing of its flowering.<ref name="book2"/> Each flower opens up with a green color, but eventually turns white with tones of light green. The amount of green in each flower can vary from plant to plant.<ref name="Ellis"/> It is claimed that the age-dependent color change is more pronounced in wild ''A.&nbsp;sesquipedale'' than in greenhouse-grown plants.<ref name="Wass"/> The [[sepal]]s tend to stay green for a longer time than petals. As the flower ages further it goes from white to yellowish and then from orange to brown as it begins to wilt. A distinctive feature of the flowers is that they have a long green [[spur (biology)|spur]] attached. The spur of the flower is {{convert|27|–|43|cm|in|1|abbr=on}} from its tip to the tip of the flower's lip.<ref>In a paper published by Wasserthal in 1997 he quoted a spur length of 33.3±4.6&nbsp;cm (N=15). The spur was measured from the rostellum at the spur entrance to the end of the spur lumen.</ref> The [[specific name]] ''sesquipedale'' is [[Latin]] for "one and a half feet," referring to the spur length. At the end of the spur is a small amount of [[nectar]] usually about 40–300&nbsp;[[microliter|µl]] in volume. In general, longer spurs tend to have greater concentrations of nectar. This nectar fills the spur up to within {{convert|7|to|25|cm|in|1|abbr=on}} from the bottom of the spur.<ref name="Wass"/> The nectar has been found to contain the sugars [[fructose]], [[sucrose]], [[glucose]], and [[raffinose]].<ref>David, Jeffrey C., ''Sugar Content in Floral and Extrafloral Exudates of Orchids: Pollination, Myrmecology and Chemotaxonomy Implication'', p. 192</ref> The flowers produce an extremely intense spicy scent that can easily fill a room; this fragrance is only present during the night. Usually 1 to 4 flowers are produced at a time.{{Citation needed|date=August 2009}} ==Cultivation== [[Image:Angraecum sesquipedale01 .jpg|130px|right]] [[Image:Angraecum sesquipedale04.jpg|130px|right]] ''Angraceum sesquipedale'' was first brought to the [[United Kingdom]] in 1855 to be grown outside of its natural environment. Subsequently, [[William Ellis (missionary)|William Ellis]] achieved the first flowering of the plant in cultivation in 1857. The first ''[[Angraecum]]'' hybrid was created by John Seden, an employee of [[Veitch Nurseries]], and exhibited for the first time on January 10, 1899.<ref name="gardenchron">Gard. Chron. 1899, vol. xxv. p. 31.</ref> It was named ''Angcm.'' Veitchii, but it also commonly goes by the name the ''King of the Angraceum hybrids''. The cross was between ''A.&nbsp;sesquipedale'' and ''A.&nbsp;eburneum'' subsp. ''superbum''.<ref name="gardenchron"/><ref> Alec Pridgeon (2006). ''The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Orchids'', Timber Press. ISBN 0881928011.</ref><ref>There is some ambiguity in the literature as to the parentage of this hybrid. Some sources claim that the seed parent is ''A.&nbsp;eburneum'' subsp. ''superbum'', while others like the Royal Horticultural Society claims it's simply ''A.&nbsp;eburneum'' and that (''A.&nbsp;eburneum'' subsp. ''superbum'' x ''A.&nbsp;sesquipedale'') should be called ''Angcm.'' Memoria Mark Aldridge.</ref> Another common ciross involving ''A.&nbsp;sesquipedale'' is ''Angcm.'' Crestwood, which is a cross between ''Angcm.'' Veitchii and ''A.&nbsp;sesquipedale''. ''Angraecum sesquipedale'' is seldom grown in private collections, despite its enormous importance to Darwin's concept of [[co-evolution]] and subsequently the fields of [[botany]] and [[evolutionary biology]]. It's often recommended that ''A.&nbsp;sesquipedale'' be grown under warm to intermediate conditions and given as much light as possible without burning the leaves. ''Angraecum sesquipedale'' is commonly found to have a slow growth habit, but the orchid can be expected to produce flowers even before it has reached an adult size. ''Angraecum sesquipedale'' is notorious for having sensitive roots. The roots of the plant should be disturbed as little as possible and one should be especially careful during repotting. Disturbing the roots can cause the plant to sulk for 2 to 4 years or even to cause it to die. It is advisable to plant the orchid in a coarse medium to minimize disturbances to the roots. Also planting it in a basket or large pot is best since this allows the orchid to grow for many years before having to have its roots disturbed.<ref name="book"/> ===Propagation=== ===Pests and diseases=== ==Varieties== Hybrids: *''Angcm.'' Orchidglade (''A.&nbsp;sesquipedale'' x ''A.&nbsp;giryamae'') *''Angcm.'' Appalachian Star (''A.&nbsp;sesquipedale'' x ''A.&nbsp;praestans'') *''Angcm.'' Dianne's Darling (''A.&nbsp;sesquipedale'' x ''Angcm.'' Alabaster) *''Angcm.'' Malagasy (''A.&nbsp;sesquipedale'' x ''A.&nbsp;sororium'') *''Angcm.'' North Star (''A.&nbsp;sesquipedale'' x ''A.&nbsp;leonis'') *''Angcm.'' Sesquibert (''A.&nbsp;sesquipedale'' x ''A.&nbsp;humbertii'') *''Angcm.'' Star Bright (''A.&nbsp;sesquipedale'' x ''A.&nbsp;didieri'') *''Angcm.'' Rose Ann Carroll (''A.&nbsp;eichlerianum'' x ''A.&nbsp;sesquipedale'') *''Angcm.'' Sesquivig (''A.&nbsp;viguieri'' x ''A.&nbsp;sesquipedale'') *''Angcm.'' Veitchii (''A.&nbsp;eburneum'' subsp. ''superbum'' x ''A.&nbsp;sesquipedale'') *''Angcm.'' Crestwood (''Angcm.'' Veitchii x ''A.&nbsp;sesquipedale'') *''Angcm.'' Ol Tukai (''A.&nbsp;comorense'' x ''A.&nbsp;sesquipedale'') *''Angcm.'' Lemförde White Beauty (''A.&nbsp;magdalenae'' x ''A.&nbsp;sesquipedale'') ===Intergeneric hybrids=== *''Chouara'' Kaohsiung Dream (''A.&nbsp;sesquipedale'' x ''Dtps.'' Ruey Lih Beauty) *''Eugcm.'' Lydia (''A.&nbsp;sesquipedale'' x ''Echn. rothschildiana'') *''Angth.'' Sesquimosa (''Aerth. ramosa'' x ''A.&nbsp;sesquipedale'')<ref name="book2"/><ref>The Royal Horticultural Society,''The International Orchid Register''.</ref> ==Gallery== <gallery perrow=5> Image:Upload.png| photo 1 Image:Upload.png| photo 2 Image:Upload.png| photo 3 </gallery> ==References== <references/> *[[Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture]], by L. H. Bailey, MacMillan Co., 1963 <!--- xxxxx *Flora: The Gardener's Bible, by Sean Hogan. Global Book Publishing, 2003. ISBN 0881925381 --> <!--- xxxxx *American Horticultural Society: A-Z Encyclopedia of Garden Plants, by Christopher Brickell, Judith D. Zuk. 1996. ISBN 0789419432 --> <!--- xxxxx *Sunset National Garden Book. Sunset Books, Inc., 1997. ISBN 0376038608 --> ==External links== *{{wplink}} {{stub}} __NOTOC__

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