The Beautiful Shapes of the Orchid Flower

The Beautiful Shapes of the Orchid Flower

Of all the many plant families that exist on earth, the orchid family may be the largest, with over 25,000 different types of orchids named in it. They are not only diverse, but also possess a beauty rarely matched in the world of flora. They are also used in art, design, medicine and cooking, and they are always stunning to behold. These photos capture only a tiny number of the varities this family offers, but each is beautiful in its own right.

Monkey Face Orchid

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Some orchids can be eaten and in fact, vanilla is in the orchid family, so it's a safe bet that you've eaten orchids before.

Ghost Orchid

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Orchids thrive in a number of enviornments, depending on the type. Some breeds grow on rocks, some only underground, some in the soil, but most - grow on other plants and on trees.

Flying Duck Orchid

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"If I see an orchid that's fantastically expensive, I'll buy it. It's worth it, for no other reason than it gives me pleasure." Lee Radziwill

Tropical Lady’s Slipper Orchid

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Bartholina ethelae

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Orchids can be found pretty much anywhere around the world except for Antarctica. They can even be found growing in the arctic circle. How amazing!

The Naked Man Orchid

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Butterfly Orchid

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Masdevallia caudivolvula

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Orchids may be one of the largest families of plants, but their seeds are some of the smallest, most no bigger than a speck of dust.

Dracula vampira

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Burana Angel

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Researchers have found evidence that orchids are as old as some dinosaurs, appearing over 120 million years ago. Now that's a rich family history.

Rothschild’s Slipper Orchid

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While most orchids are common and cheap, the Rothschild's Slipper orchid (shown above) can only be grown in Malaysia and usually goes for about $5,000 a stem.

White Egret Orchid

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Dendrobium tobaense

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Carousel Spider Orchid

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Brassavola digbyana

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Among the many, many breeds of orchids, there is one that only blooms at night, with the flower dying by morning. Such a short, beautiful bloom. Perhaps representing short lived love?

Bulbophyllum medusae

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Bulbophyllum falcatum

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The ancient Aztecs would use orchids as glue by smashing them into a powder and mixing them with water.

Veitch's Masdevallia

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Another variety of slipper orchid

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Bulbophyllum plumatum

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If you want to grow orchids yourselves, a word of warning - you'll need immense patience, as it can take up to 8 years for the flowers to grow.

Another Butterfly Orchid

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Lepanthes calodictyon

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Orchids developed smart. Some of them actually resemble the females of certain bug species in order to entice males to visit and help with pollination. Some wasps fall so hard for this trick they actually 'have sex' with the orchid.

Bee Orchid

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Restrepia guttulata

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THe orchid seeds don't have enough energy to grow by themselves, so they make use of fungus to gain the energy they need to grow and flourish.

Lepanthes gratiosa

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Some orchids can live to be 100 years old!

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In short, orchids are one of the most amazing plant families, so diverse, beautiful and interesting. From 2mm wide flowerts up to 30 inches long - this is one of my favorite flowers.