China: Unknown, leafless orchid species discovered
The bloom was first discovered by traveller Zhu Jiaqiang while he was trekking through the remote mountains of Shaoguan, in Southern China’s Guangdong province, in May of 2010. He was hiking there with a couple of friends as he stumbled upon a patch of six of the flowers in an otherwise entirely grassless area.
Astonished at their unusual looks, Zhu snapped a few photos and put them on the internet, which soon attracted the attention of local botanists. Expert Zhai Junwen from the South China Botanical Garden explains: “It is different from any orchid species recorded. When I saw Zhu’s photo, I saw it was very special so I contacted him immediately.”
Source: Florint.org
