Worlds Ugliest Orchid (and some not so ugly)

[snousle]

Here it is:



There are many orchids that are nondescript and dumpy, but they do not rise to the level of luscious hideousness that this does. It would make a great corsage for a witch.

I only spent about an hour and took about 200 snaps. There were lots of photographers with REALLY long lenses, though I wasn't one of them. Although the telephoto might have been very interesting to work with, I didn't bring it. I found the crowds somewhat unnerving, and felt like I was always in other people's way, so the photos were all pretty hasty, hit and run things. The color temperature of the ambient light was all over the map, from north-facing windows to dimmed incandescent, and that made for a challenge too. I really gotta start shooting raw format.

I do like the relatively modest and overlooked species. Orchids that look like an explosion in a drag queen's dressing room don't really do it for me. Here's some that both caught my eye and came out with good clarity and color. Sorry, I didn't note any species names.

Comments

eye of the beholder?

[thornyc.livejournal.com]

Actually, the first one looks a lot like your beard and stray hairs escaping out of your rebel cap in the user pic you chose.

My favorite is the third from the end.

Does the show/signage distinguish between which varieties are "pure" from nature, and which ones have been bred?

Thanks for sharing these!

Re: eye of the beholder?

[snousle.livejournal.com]

Third from end? With the orange stripes on the labellum? Strangely enough, that was the one photo I came closest to excluding from this set.

Generally species orchids have latinate names while hybrids have english names. There are a few exceptions, most curiously for hybrids that were originally believed to be species. There's a hybrid registry that in theory traces back every hybrid to its ancestor species, and recreations of the same hybrid share the same name (although they can end up looking wildly different).

[winstonthriller.livejournal.com]

The first one looks like something out of a 1950's B-grade science fiction movie.

Though, when I think about it, most orchid's look like they're from outer space.

[furr-a-bruin.livejournal.com]

The main thing I like about orchids is that they're not whores, spewing their seed indiscriminately into the air and setting off my allergies.

Yay for insect pollination!

[progbear.livejournal.com]

The first, “ugly” orchid reminds me of a sundew plant.

And sorry, but I can’t even hear the words “orchid show” without thinking of Frank Zappa’s “Brown Shoes Don’t Make It.”

[jstregyr.livejournal.com]

Orchids are sort of the offspring of Lovecraftian horror meets HR Giger's artwork.

[barbarian-rat.livejournal.com]

Lots of very interesting flowers.
thanks for sharin'