Extremely rare orchid 'rediscovered' on a remote island

[silvershadow]

John Roach NBC News
13 hours ago

An incredibly rare species of butterfly orchid has been "rediscovered" in the Azores, a group of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean.

The species is so rare that it may be confined to a single mountaintop forest, according to a researcher associated with the find.

It's one of three species of butterfly orchid that scientists found flowering on the Azores.

The finding raises the urgency for conservation actions to save the orchids from the ongoing threats of deforestation, agricultural expansion, and "pretty but highly invasive flowers that have been introduced to the islands," Richard Bateman, an independent botanist in England, explained to NBC News in an email.

more: http://www.nbcnews.com/science/extremely-rare-orchid-rediscovered-remote-island-2D11718342
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I will just say, exciting perhaps, but it's not particularly pretty ?

[2naSalit]

1. That's pretty interesting!

It resembles a number of orchidae that grow around my neck o' the woods like the green bog orchid/northern green rein orchid; the white rein/bog orchid and a couple of the coralroot types around here. I spend a good number of my spare time spring/summer outings locating and photographing the indigenous orchids. Some are rare and other rather ubiquitous. I had no idea that they were identified and classified in the manner described in the peer reviewed article... learn something new every day!

Thanks for posting!