Lycaste virginalis

When this large orchid first hit the European orchid scene in the late 1800s, it was so coveted that thousands were taken from its native Guatemalan cloud forests and exported. Almost all of these plants died for various reasons. By the 1930s, when L. skinneri var. alba (now L. virginalis) was first designated as the national flower of Guatemala, it was considered rare. Despite prohibition on the collection of L. virginalis starting in the 1940s, poaching continued, leading to the Guatemalan government banning the export of all orchids until the ‘90s. This beautiful orchid remains in danger, but protection efforts persist.

Year round; peaks in February and March

National flower of Guatemala.

Bee (Euglossa), collects fragrance

From a cultivated plant not of known wild origin

From Smithsonian Gardens, released by the Smithsonian under CC0 through its Open Access programme. The Smithsonian does not endorse ModelsXi. Its own page has the object record and other copies, including full-resolution and print-ready files where they exist.