Smallest Orchid in the World

[Orquid]

Hi, I thought this was worth a post. So small the ruler above it looks huge. So small it can hardly be seen.
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/n...d-picture.html

[Alana]

OMG THAT IS SOOOOO CUTE!!!!!! Know anything specific about it?

[gardenguysorchids]

Is this the one recently discovered in South America and its petals are transparent when opened? I read an article in National Geographic about it and several articles on line. The botonist, who discovered this one by accident under a tree, has discovered several new orchids over the last 10 years. What a lucky dude to discover several---I would be happy finding just one--or at least being there when someone else found it. LOL

[Brutal_Dreamer]

That is cool. Susan posted something about this back in November/ December. Smallest Orchid...

Cheers,
BD

[Cjcorner]

I had seen it too...but it's cool to see the tiny translucent thing again! Thanks for sharing it. You wonder...the guy that found it...he must have had his reading glasses on?!

[catttan]

Thanks Orquid for sharing.Yes Susan posted something about this too.

This tiny orchid reminds me of the time 17 Dec 1976 ( Wonder how I'm able to be so precise about the date ? It was recorded in our orchid society's first newsletter,edited by yours truly). Our society emblem is Paph barbatum which grew in abundance then, on our highest mountain, Gunung Jerai 5000 ft, or Kedah Peak as the Brits called it. A committee member of The Orchid Society of South-east Asia (TOSSEA) a Mr Phoon Yoon Seng from Singapore visited us that day and expressed a wish to see Paph barbatum in its natural habitat and so the society arranged an outing to Kedah Peak for Mr Phoon and a few other members of the society.To cut a long story short not only did we find lots of barbatum but other orchids as well; notably Anoectocilus, Haemaria, Liparis, Bromheadia, Bulbophyllum, Dendrobium, Dendrochilum, Cymbidium, Habenaria, Spathoglottis(plicata,affinis,aurea).

While looking around, a big boulder,as big as an average living room, caught my attention as it was covered with mosses and lichens. I've always been fascinated by all things small and tiny and climbed up the boulder to have a closer look at the mosses. To my great surprise amidst the green of the mosses were tiny specks of colour. On closer inspection these light brown coloured specks turned out to be tiny orchid flowers with all the proper floral parts.The size of the 'flowers' was about the size of a match-head. It was precisely at this moment that I heard a commotion from somewhere behind me and our assistant secretary burst out of the thick undergrowth screaming "Tedung Selar" (King Cobra).You should have seen me flying off that boulder! Needless to say everyone scampered out of wherever they were then and headed as far away as possible from the vicinity of the boulder. And I didn't collect that tiny orchid- the tiniest that I have ever seen.

NB/ It's not uncommon to have King Cobras behave aggressively when they are guarding their eggs. Here they can grow to 12ft.

[Shannara]

Whoa...I've never seen that before. I would like to see what the plant looks like.

Very delicate!

Shann~

[margo]

Very cute little guy. 2mm. flower?!........... I would miss it even if it's growing in my back yard and screeming every morning when I go out to check my orchids "HERE!!! LOOK HERE!!!"...
Yew, I love your story! Do you know now what was the name of this little orchid? Did you ever feel like going back there and look for it again?

[xristie9]

are the lafes bigger? i would realy like to see the whole plant