Darwin's slipper

Description

Calceolaria uniflora (syn. Calceolaria darwinii, known as Darwin's slipper) is a perennial plant of the genus Calceolaria, known as the slipperworts. It is originally from Tierra del Fuego in the southern part of South America. Calceolaria uniflora is a mountain plant growing only to 10 cm (4 in) tall. The flowers are a compound of yellow, white and brownish red. Calceolaria uniflora is an ornithophilic plant and is pollinated by the least seedsnipe. The seedsnipe eats the conspicuous white floral appendage on the lower lip of the flower, which is high in sugars. While the seedsnipe pecks at this appendage, the stigma and anthers of the flower tap the head and back of the seedsnipe distributing and receiving pollen, ensuring that pollen will be transferred to the next Calceolaria unifora that is visited by the seedsnipe. Calceolaria, also called lady's purse, slipper flower and pocketbook flower, or slipperwort, is a genus of plants in the family Calceolariaceae, sometimes classified in Scrophulariaceae by some authors. This genus consists of about 388 species of shrubs, lianas and herbs, and the geographical range extends from Patagonia to central Mexico, with its distribution centre in Andean region. Calceolaria species have usually yellow or orange flowers, which can have red or purple spots. The Calceolaria Herbeohybrida group, also called C. herbeohybrida Voss, is a group of ornamental hybrids known only in cultivation, called florists slipperwort.