Coryanthes speciosa

Coryanthes speciosa
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Monocots
Order:	Asparagales
Family:	Orchidaceae
Subfamily:	Epidendroideae
Tribe:	Maxillarieae
Subtribe:	Stanhopeinae
Genus:	Coryanthes
Species:	C. speciosa
Binomial name
Coryanthes speciosa Hook. (1831)
Synonyms
Gongora speciosa (Hook.) Hook. (1827) Meliclis speciosa (Hook.) Raf. (1837) Coryanthes maculata var. splendens (Barb.Rodr.) Cogn. (1902)

Coryanthes speciosa

Coryanthes speciosa, the bat orchid, is a species of orchid found in Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, French Guiana, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, Suriname, Venezuela, the Caribbean and Belize. As noted by the position of the "bucket", liquid drops in from above by a special stem gland. The bucket fills, nectar drinking organisms such as bees are attracted to the sweet drops forming aove the bucket. As the bees jostel for position, some bees inadvertantly fall into the bucket. The bucket's fluid levels are regulated by a spout that allows overflowing liquid to be released. This is the only escape for the drowning bees. Whilst traveling through the spout, the anther's of the plant produce pollen that then sticks to the escaping bee. Positioned perfectly at the end of the spout lies the stigma that must be crossed by the frantic bee. Pollination is then assured, the bee is free to try its luck on other plants nearby. Thus, even cross pollination is virtually inevitable. Truly remarkable, yet, highly unlikely a mechanism so precisely designed could evolve by imperceptably minute adjustments caused by mutation and selective adaptation. Hardly a candidate for the poster-child of gradualistic evolution, nor neo-darwinism.

External links

"Coryanthes speciosa". The Encyclopedia of Life.