Orchids are one of the largest families of plants. Currently it is known that there are between 22,000 and 27,000 different species of orchid. That's an incredible diversity and with so many, they are widely dispersed throughout the world, occurring in all habitats except glacial. Orchids are among the most beautiful flowers in the world - let's take a look at some.
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According to Wikipedia orchids are easily distinguished from other plants, as they share some very evident traits. Among these are bilateral symmetry, many resupinate flowers (upside-down, supine, facing upward), a nearly always highly modified petal, fused stamens and carpels and have extremely small seeds. They look awesomely pretty too!
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It's amazing how orchids can mimic insects and other things. Can you see Gimli from LOTR beneath the alien creature?
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Orchids have such incredible colors. They range from the most delicate white to black.
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An orchid found in Hawaii. So aptly constructed and named.
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The range of pinks in orchids is stunning, from barely pink to the deepest reds.
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The variegated orchids are always stunning.
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Some of the color palettes are almost unreal.
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Some orchids are huge and showy. Others are sweet and delicate.
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Some of the smaller orchids grow in clumps on branches rather than on single stems.
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Forget the scientific name - just call it the spider orchid.
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Glorious sunny flowers from the sunshine islands of Hawaii.
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I love the names orchids are given.
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This stunning orchid, which looks so like a daffodil, is native to Brazil.
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It looks like a ballerina in the fifth position.
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The Caleana is native to Australia.
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AKA the boat orchid, this one - of which there are hundreds of variations - is found widely in tropical and subtropical Asia and Australia. I think this one is the Dorothy Stockstill.
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... attract other pink things.
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The Ana Ingham orchids are hybrids of Brazilian orchids.
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Here's a perfect example of that "upside down flower" structure.
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This is another of the cymbidium orchids.
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And this is found in Ecuador and Bolivia.
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The color of this one is amazing.
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The Ophrys orchids are Northern Hemisphere plants.
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I've no idea which species this is but it sure looks like Darth Vader.
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Some black orchids are natural, others have been cultivated and even others, dyed.
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This is one of the phragmipedium orchids - also known as the lady's slipper orchids.
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The delicate, exotic and graceful orchid represents love, luxury, beauty and strength
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This charmer is found only in Florida and Cuba.
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You can see why these are called baby in a blanket.
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One of the most highly colored of all orchids (and it doesn't need photoshopping).
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A stunning orange variety of boat orchid.
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The Thelymitra orchids are called sun orchids because they only open in warm weather.
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Simply... stunningly... beautiful.
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The monkey orchid is usually found in the cloud forests of Peru and Ecuador.
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They really do deserve these names, don't they?
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There are 113 members of the cattleya family and they grow in the Caribbean and from Costa Rica southwards.
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This is one of the 1,200 members of the Dendrobium family.
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The most striking of the Caladenia orchids are found in Australia.
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I love the leopard print effect on the petals.
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They’re all so incredible.
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These are known as moth orchids.
With so many thousand varieties of orchids, you really could never get bored of seeing all the differences. Do you have a love of orchids?
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