The first orchid blooms at night

Recently a group of Dutch scientists on an expedition to New Britain, an island near Papua New Guinea, discovered that orchids only bloom at night. The discovery has just been published in the Journal of Botany of the Linnean Association.

Orchid Nocturnum Bulbophyllum newly discovered by Bulbophyllum family, - with about 2,000 species - is the largest group in the family of orchids. Each orchid blooms only 1 night and new buds appear to hatch the next day.

Nocturnum Bulbophyllum is the first orchid species, among
about 25,000 orchids, known to bloom at night

'Unexpected discovery because there are many orchids known but none have been pollinated at night' , study co-author Andre Schuiteman, a orchid expert at Royal Kew Botanical Garden to speak.

Why the Nocturnum Bulbophyllum spread only at night is still a secret. Scientists will take samples to the Netherlands to clarify this issue.

The growth area of ​​Nocturnum Bulbophyllum is currently located in the logging area approved by the Papua New Guinea government. This will threaten the existence of this particular orchid.

Andre Schuiteman urged the Papua New Guinea government to conserve unspoiled areas, where there may be many unexplored orchids.