Orchids display a remarkable variety of structures that serve the same purpose of fertilisation, which deeply intrigued Charles Darwin. He viewed these flowers as perfect examples of natural selection, showcasing how species adapt over generations to ensure their survival. This year, the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History has chosen to highlight Darwin's fascination with orchids through an exhibition. The event, titled 'Orchids through Darwin's Eyes,' is hosted by Liane Hansen and celebrates the significance of these flowers in the context of evolutionary biology.
In my examination of Orchids, hardly any fact has so much struck me as the endless diversity of structure ... for gaining the very same end, namely, the fertilisation of one flower by the pollen of another.
To Darwin, orchids were vivid examples of natural selection and of mechanisms that develop over generations to best ensure the perpetuation of the species.
This year the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History has made Darwin's interest in the flowers the theme of their annual orchid exhibition.
Host Liane Hansen takes a tour of 'Orchids through Darwin's Eyes.'
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