Koninginnen
Many orchid names, as we have seen in previous parts of this series, refer to properties of the plant. For example, Bulbophyllum medusae means: a ‘bulb and leaf’ with a flower ‘like Medusa’ – because the mythological Medusa had snakes on her head instead of hair. Other botanical names may refer to the plant’s provenance or to the person who discovered it. In exceptional cases, however, a botanist was so impressed by the beauty of a newly discovered orchid that he decided to name it after a member of a royal family. Queens, in particular, are well represented in orchid names.
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