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Rare Yosemite Orchid Discovered
Friday, September 14th, 2007The discovery of a rare orchid, known only to grow inside Yosemite National Park was announced by scientists this summer. The orchid lives only in wet meadows between 6,000 and 9,000 feet and it’s certainly not the type of plant that florists will be rushing to obtain, since it is as foul smelling as sweaty feet.
The offensive orchid uses its rank bouquet to attract pollinators in the rarified air of the high country. U.S. Geologic Survey Botanist Alison Colwell was reported by the Associated Press to have said, “I was out surveying clovers one afternoon, and I started smelling something. I was like, ‘Eew, what’s that? It smelled like a horse corral on a hot afternoon.”
The plant is the only known orchid species indigenous to California’s Sierra Nevada range and grows in spring-fed areas between 6,000 and 9,000 feet. Called the Yosemite Bog Orchid (platanthera yosemitensis), it has tiny tennis-ball-yellow flowers along an upright stem easily missed among the many flowers that grow in meadows. The little flower is believed to use its offensive odor to attract flies or other pollinators.
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