Shocked? No they aren’t photoshopped! Their impressive looks will truly deceive your eyes at first sight only to leave you in a state of amazement. No prizes for guessing what they actually resemble with, they are orchids that look a lot like a ‘monkey’s face’, and therefore they have been named as ‘Monkey Orchid Dracula Simia’. Having said that, don’t prefer them for gifting your partners (for the obvious reasons).
They are one in a million flowers mostly found in the cloud forests of ‘Southeastern Ecuador’ at great altitudes of 1000-2000 meters. They apparently smell like ripe oranges. They are quite rare cultivated plants, which is probably why they weren’t named until 1978.
There are quite diverse with about 120 beautiful species growing at great elevations of Ecuador and Peru. They bloom at any season, and flower anytime they like. They usually grow at 5 cm length, and cannot live in an environment that exceeds 27 degrees, and that’s the reason these flowers enjoy cool and humid environments.
These orchids need great care and attention, so if you are planning to buy them you’ll need to plant them in partial shade and water them regularly.
I have just had deliver of some 20 seeds…Dracula Simia I ordered them from aliexpress.com at £10.00