THE ORCHID WORLD. 
ANGR/ECUM SESQUIPEDALE. 
(See full-page Illustration.) 
AuBERT DU Petit-Thouars published a 
book at Paris in 1822 entitled " Histoire 
particuliere des plantes Orchidees recueilliers 
sur les trois iles australes d'Afrique, de 
France, de Bourbon et de Madagascar," in 
which he gives the first description ever pub- 
lished of this curious orchid from Madagascar. 
It includes a drawing of a flower natural size 
(t. 66) and a reduced figure (t. 67). For 
thirty-five years this was all that botanists 
knew concerning the plant, until the Rev. 
William Ellis, the distinguished traveller and 
historian of Madagascar, on his last return 
from that wonderful island, made us 
acquainted with the living plant, which he 
flowered twice — first in 1857, when Lindley 
wrote an account of it in the Gardeners 
Chronicle, 1857, p. 253, with woodcut of 
flower natural size, and with the following 
letter from Mr. Ellis: — "I did not see this 
plant in the higher and cooler regions of 
Madagascar, but only in the lower and hottest 
districts, and there by no means so abundant 
as the Angrcecnni supcrhum, which is a 
splendid growing orchid. The An gr cecum 
scsquipedale does not grow in the moist and 
thickly-wooded parts of the lower districts 
of the island, but generally on the straggling 
trees along the edges of the forest, or in 
other parts where the trees are only thinly 
spread over the country. It seemed to grow 
most frequently on the driest parts of the 
trunks and branches of thinly-leaved trees, 
and, though occasionally, yet but seldom seen 
near the ground. The largest plants were 
found about twelve or twenty feet from the 
ground, and smaller ones were often seen 
higher up amongst the smaller branches. It 
seemed to grow more frequently where there 
was plenty of light and air." 
The second time of flowering was in 
February, 1859, at his residence, Hoddesdon, 
Herts, when it was illustrated 'v!\\\\& Botanical 
Magazine of May 1st, 1859 (t. 51 13). 
Sesquipedale means a foot and half as 
much again, or, in other words, eighteen 
inches, and refers to the great length of the 
sour ; but as the general measiirements of 
this latter organ are from twelve to fourteen 
inches in length, the specific name more pro- 
perly suggests the total length from the apex 
of the dorsal sepal to the lowest point of the 
spur. 
It was this spur or nectary that so greatly 
interested Darwin, who, in his memorable 
work on the " Fertilisation of Orchids by 
Insects," published in 1862, gives an inter- 
esting description of some flowers he had 
recently received from Mr. Bateman. He 
says : " I found the nectaries eleven and a 
half inches long, with only the lower inch 
and a half filled with nectar. What can be 
the use, it may be asked, of a nectary of 
such disproportionate length? We shall, I 
think, see that the fertilisation of the plant 
depends on this length, and on nectar being 
contained only within the lower and 
attenuated extremity." He goes on to 
explain how, that in order I0 fertilise the 
flower, it must be visited by large moths, 
with a proboscis thick at the base ; and that 
to drain the last drop of nectar even the 
largest moth would have to force its pro- 
boscis as far down as possible, thus bringing 
the thick part of it into a correct position 
to remove the pollen. 
And, further, " If the Angraecum in its 
native forests secretes more nectar than did 
the vigorous plants sent me by Mr. Bateman, 
so that the nectary ever becomes filled, small 
moths might obtain their share, but they 
would not benefit the plant. The pollinia 
would not be withdrawn until some huge 
moth, with a wonderfully long proboscis, 
tried to drain the last drop." 
" If such great moths were to become 
extinct in Madagascar, assuredly the 
Angrascum would become extinct. On the 
other hand, as the nectar, at least in the 
lower part of the nectary, is stored safe from 
the depredation of other insects, the extinc- 
tion of the Angr^ecum would probably be a 
serious loss to these moths. We can thus 
understand how the astonishing length of the 
nectary had been acquired by successive 
modifications." 
