Bulbophyllum fletcherianum

Bulbophyllum fletcherianum, the tongue orchid, Fletcher's bulbophyllum or Spies' bulbophyllum, is a rare orchid native to southern New Guinea. It prefers sunny rock outcrops or mossy tree branches, but besides being lithophytic or epiphytic, it can also be pseudo-terrestrial. The tongue orchid requires high humidity and moist roots. It is one of the largest species of orchid in the world, with leaves growing to almost 1.8 metres (5 ft 11 in) or even 2.1 m (6 ft 11 in) with a width of up to 30 cm (12 in) from a pseudobulb that is "often larger than tennis balls". The leaf is pendant and can be green, or purple with green edges, and is the largest leaf of any known orchid. It is allied to other large orchid species such as B. phalaenopsis and B. macrobulbon. The flowers are maroon and spike-shaped, and release an overpowering aroma which attracts blowflies and carrion beetles for pollination. The fragrance of these flowers, like those of B. beccarii, have been compared to a whole herd o......read more on Wikipedia.