Celebrating Diversity at Pacific Orchid Expo 2023

Ghost Orchid, Dendrophylax lindenii, AKA Polyrrhiza lindenii, orchid species flower, white flower, weird flower, Palm Polly, Pacific Orchid Expo 2023, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, CaliforniaDracula chestertonii 'Quetzalcoatl', orchid species flower, pleurothallid, weird flower with strange lip, Pacific Orchid Expo 2023, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, CaliforniaPacific Orchid Expo 2023, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, California

Paphiopedilum Hengduan's Qin, orchid hybrid flower, Paph, Lady Slipper, yellow and reddish-purple flower, Pacific Orchid Expo 2023, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, CaliforniaCattleya Carol Lynn 'Frankfurt', orchid hybrid flowers, purpe white and yellow flowers, Pacific Orchid Expo 2023, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, CaliforniaCymbidium Khan Wall 'Bronze Gold', orchid hybrid flowers, Pacific Orchid Expo 2023, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, California
“I’ve never seen an orchid like that!” “How strange!” “That can’t be a real flower!” These exclamations were all overheard at the recent Pacific Orchid Expo. Fittingly, this year’s show theme was “Celebrating Diversity.” With tens of thousand of varied species, and hundreds of thousands of varied hybrids, the orchid family is surely a diversity champion.

Phalaenopsis orchid hybrid flower, Phal, Moth Orchid, Pacific Orchid Expo 2023, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, CaliforniaOdontioda Bodega Bay, orchid hybrid flower, Pacific Orchid Expo 2023, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, CaliforniaDisa Veitchii 'Paul' AM/AOS, orchid hybrid flower, pink flower, Pacific Orchid Expo 2023, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, California

All the photos in this post clearly demonstrate that range of differences, but especially the first two. In the first picture, there’s a rare, blooming Ghost Orchid, Dendrophylax lindenii. Its elegant white blossom was displayed inside a tall glass jar, and therefore tough to photograph, but it’s still the stuff of orchid dreams, as in The Orchid Thief. The second picture features a bizarre Dracula species, Dracula chestertonii ‘Quetzalcoatl’, which defies comparison to any plant sold in a supermarket or home improvement store. Its weird lip mimics a fungus to trick small insects into pollinating it. It certainly exemplifies orchid diversity. Check back soon for more from San Francisco’s big show.

Laeliocattleya Rojo 'Cardinal' x Laelia halbingeriana 'Ruben's', orchid hybrid flowers, purple and yellow flowers, Pacific Orchid Expo 2023, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, CaliforniaOrchid, palm, and bromeliad display at Pacific Orchid Expo 2023 with large and colorful artificial flower in middle, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, CaliforniaOrchid display at Pacific Orchid Expo 2023, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, California

Orchid sales area at Pacific Orchid Expo 2023, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, CaliforniaOrchid sales area at Pacific Orchid Expo 2023, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, CaliforniaOrchid sales area at Pacific Orchid Expo 2023, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, California

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