A genus of orchids native to Madagascar and Africa, known for their exotic appearance and long, unusual spur-like structures.
From Latin 'angraecum,' derived from Greek 'anggraikon' meaning 'Indian.' European botanists applied the name to these African orchids, likely confusing their origin due to early trade routes bringing exotic flowers from various regions.
Darwin was obsessed with one Angraecum orchid that had an 11-inch-long nectar tube—he predicted a moth with a matching proboscis must exist, decades before scientists actually found it, proving how evolution shapes both flowers and their pollinators.
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