Darwin Star Orchid

Angraecum sesquipedale, a star-shaped white orchid from Madagascar, has an extremely long nectar spur. This is a tube at the back of the flower that holds nectar at the base. In 1862, Darwin predicted that the orchid's pollinator must be an insect with a tongue long enough to reach the bottom of the spur. Forty years later, scientists discovered a large moth in Madagascar with a proboscis (feeding tube) over one foot long, confirming Darwin's theory. The orchid is now known as Darwin's star orchid.