Tuesday, 22 November 2011

Orchid of the Night

A orchid (Bulbophyllum nocturnum) from an island off Papua New Guinea has been described by a Dutch scientist that, unlike the other 25,000 species of such plants (one is illustrated), only flowers at night (http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2011/nov/22/night-flowering-orchid-discovered?INTCMP=SRCH). This suggests that it must be pollinated exclusively by some nocturnal agent (a moth?). Unfortunately, the island is scheduled for logging activity.
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