Caleana major – the Flying Duck Orchid

I received an email that titled “Caleana major – the Flying Duck Orchid” from a bonsai friend yesterday.  When I checked the attached photos, I was amazed.  This orchid surely lives up to its name!

Caleana, commonly known as the Flying Duck Orchid, is a genus of orchids native to Australia.  While the appearance of the Flying Duck Orchid is fascinating, I found the orchid’s trigger mechanism that temporarily captures insects to aid pollination equally interesting.

So, Australia is a country that has not only duck-looking animals, but also plants that resemble a duck.  Besides the bizarre looking, duck-billed platypus, Australia also has Caleana, the orchid that looks so much like a flying duck.

And here is a nice, brief introduction of Large Duck Orchid in Australia Land Cove National Park website.