Yes there is an orchid Angraecum sesquipidale upon which Charles darwin
theorized, and later proved, cut to its nectary being in a spur 1 1/2' long had
to be pollinated by a special kind of moth with an unusually long ?proboscis?
and it turned out there is a moth in Africa that evolved mouthparts
specifically for reaching the nectar in this particular orchid....
Mr. Kyle Fletcher Baker, MCN
Maine Zone 5
________________________________
From: Diane Clement <[email protected]>
To: "Alpine-L, the Electronic Rock Garden Society; postings copyright by
authors." <[email protected]>
Sent: Tuesday, February 21, 2012 10:21 AM
Subject: Re: [Alpine-l] Cornus (was Rock Garden Conifers)
>>Oh,
someone had this idea that the smaller the plant, the more sesquipedalian the
name. Chamaepericlymenum,
by
the way.<<
What a brilliant word sesquipedalian. It means a long
word a foot and a half long (I had to look it up):
Noun
sesquipedalian
(plural sesquipedalians)
1. A person who uses long words.
2. A long word.
Etymology
Literally: “a foot and a half
long”.
From Latin sesqui (“one and a half”); + pedal, from Latin
foot
Diane Clement
Wolverhampton, UK
Zone 8
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