Ultima Gainia posted a ballpoint pen today. This reminded me of a micro-orchid picture I took about fifteen years ago using the tip of a ballpoint pen for scale (scanned from film). It turned out to be a new species but back then I didn't pay enough attention to it. It was found and described last year by others.
Ballpoint pen with orchid
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- peterkinchington
- Posts: 162
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- Location: Melbourne, Australia
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Hi Lou,
That is the smallest orchid I have ever seen - pity you did not describe it and get recognition for finding this species. What would pollinate these flowers?
Cheers Kanga
That is the smallest orchid I have ever seen - pity you did not describe it and get recognition for finding this species. What would pollinate these flowers?
Cheers Kanga
Try, try again. Fall down nine times get up ten.
www.peterkinchington.com
www.peterkinchington.com
No one knows what pollinates these. They don't get pollinated very often, so it takes a very patient person to discover such things!
I did discover a smaller one, which got an embarrassing amount of attention, so I don't mind that I missed the one pictured above:
http://www.independent.co.uk/environmen ... 31104.html
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news ... cture.html
https://en.wikinews.org/wiki/American_b ... est_orchid
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/earth/e ... plant.html
However there are many ways to be the "smallest", and there are European and Asian orchids with even smaller flowers, though with larger plants. I should not have claimed that my orchid was absolutely the smallest.
I did discover a smaller one, which got an embarrassing amount of attention, so I don't mind that I missed the one pictured above:
http://www.independent.co.uk/environmen ... 31104.html
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news ... cture.html
https://en.wikinews.org/wiki/American_b ... est_orchid
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/earth/e ... plant.html
However there are many ways to be the "smallest", and there are European and Asian orchids with even smaller flowers, though with larger plants. I should not have claimed that my orchid was absolutely the smallest.
- MarkSturtevant
- Posts: 1946
- Joined: Sat Nov 21, 2015 6:52 pm
- Location: Michigan, U.S.A.
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Mark, the petals and sepals help make the flower more conspicuous, and also ensure that the insect interacts with the lip (the modified petal) from the right side. Orchid pollination depends on precision positioning of the pollinator, and it won't work if the pollinator lands on the lip from the back. But even if the petals were under no selective pressure at all during the flowering, they would still be important to protect the lip during development, before the flower opens.
We look for the plants, not the flowers. These plants are also small but they have some special characteristics, and I have learned to spot them from a great distance.
I was with another orchid specialist at the time we found this flower, and I remember discussing with him whether this was a flower or a piece of debris...we had to look at it under a loupe to be sure.
I was with another orchid specialist at the time we found this flower, and I remember discussing with him whether this was a flower or a piece of debris...we had to look at it under a loupe to be sure.
Gotcha. I know what you mean too. Many years ago I did a lot of treasure hunting (scrap metal detecting) and picked up the same skill with coins. I can still spot the rim of a grubby old coin partially peeking through ploughed soil from 20 feet away! I don't really see it so much as unconsciously sense the small curved edge - which makes me go and look closer. Amazing things, brains.Lou Jost wrote:We look for the plants, not the flowers. These plants are also small but they have some special characteristics, and I have learned to spot them from a great distance...