Sunday, February 08, 2015

More Orchids from the Natural History Museum



More pictures of these amazing flowers. I'll be posting more on and off over the next few days.

A few more details on the 20th Annual Orchid Exhibition:
“Orchids: Interlocking Science and Beauty,” takes visitors on a journey from past to present, starting in the Victorian era during the height of orchid exploration and discovery. The journey continues through the 19th century as orchid collecting grew into “orchidelirium,” when private collections filled ornate greenhouses and a single orchid could cost thousands of dollars. Proceeding into the present day, visitors can reflect on the human impact on the environment and the growing need to protect wild orchids. Displays highlighting new technologies for orchid hybridization and the commercial industry are intermingled with examples of ex-situ efforts by botanic gardens to conserve and propagate native orchids. As the exhibit concludes, visitors are given a glimpse into the future, where new orchid discoveries and innovations take place on a molecular level. DNA sequencing of individual orchid species may help scientists better understand the complicated evolutionary relationships among the estimated 25,000 species in this family.



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