Catasetum saccatum
GenusCatasetum
Speciessaccatum
AuthorityLindl.
Synonyms
  • Catasetum saccatum var. eusaccatum Mansf.
  • Catasetum saccatum var. typum Hoehne
  • Catasetum christyanum var. obscurum Rchb.f.
  • Catasetum secundum Klotzsch
  • Catasetum baraquinianum Lem.
  • Catasetum saccatum var. pliciferum Rchb.f.
  • Catasetum christyanum Rchb.f.
  • Catasetum christyanum var. chlorops Rchb.f.
  • Catasetum cruciatum Schltr.
  • Catasetum saccatum var. christyanum (Rchb.f.) Mansf.

Catasetum saccatum, the sack-shaped catasetum, is a species of orchid.[1]

Charles Darwin remarked on the ability of the species to launch its viscid pollen sacs with explosive force, when an insect touches a seta. He was ridiculed for reporting this by the naturalist Thomas Huxley.[2]

References

  1. ^ "Catasetum saccatum Lindl. | Plants of the World Online | Kew Science". Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 2024-03-02.
  2. ^ Desmond, Adrian J. & Moore, James Richard (1991). Darwin. London: M. Joseph. p. 510. ISBN 978-0-7181-3430-3.