Like most gardeners, I occasionally stumble upon fruits and flowers that resemble something else. But a naked man was not on my botanical bingo card.Sure, tomatoes can be mischievous, taking on the shape of horned animals, Russian dolls, large-nosed characters and even unmentionables when exposed to extreme temperatures and vivid imaginations. But I thought orchids were more polite.As it turns out, they aren’t. You don’t have to squint very hard to see the uncanny resemblance that some of them bear to animals, insects and even people. These are the five that impress and amuse me the most.Let’s get back to that naked man orchidMeet Orchis italica, aka the naked man orchid, who smiles broadly as he hangs off the plant with his legs splayed and arms extended as if requesting a hug. Let’s just say his decision to forgo pants is obvious.Sometimes called “Italian orchid,” naked man hails from the sunny Mediterranean region, which also may explain his decision to wear what resembles a hat. He thrives in partial shade and infertile soil, where the plant grows up to 20 inches tall before flowers make their midspring appearance.
Other orchid varieties resemble babies, doves, bees and monkeysSwaddled baby (Anguloa uniflora) is a 2-foot tulip orchid that grows only in the Andes region of South America, where high humidity is essential for its survival. The flower’s pale-pink-to-white petal formation resembles a newborn baby lovingly wrapped in a blanket.Dove orchid (Peristeria elata) looks remarkably like its namesake, with blossoms that resemble the bird’s head, beak, body, tail and purple-speckled wings.
