Some flowers hold a special place in the heart of almost everyone because of their beauty and scent. One of these is a special flow, the orchid. Peru has a great natural diversity of orchids in its three regions. Some of the most beautiful orchids of the world are from Peru.
More than 3000 species of orchids are found in our country. These beautiful flowers inspire many things, for example passion and desire. They grow between 100 and 4600 meters above sea level and many are in danger of extinction because of illegal commerce and the destruction of their habitat.
Machu Picchu is considered the seventh wonder of the world and around it you will find hundreds of orchid species, as you will appreciate if you take a stroll through these areas. You will also find orchids in Moyobamba, Tumbes, Piura, and many other places where orchids grow and show their greatest beauty.
The diversity of microclimates in Peru permits us to have a great diversity of orchids. They have been appreciated since Pre-Columbian times by the native cultures of Peru. Cuzco’s oral tradition has conserved the masdevallia veitchiana in a story called the legend of Waqanki. In Quechua, Waqanki means tears and in masdevallia you can see teardrops on the petals.
This plant was awarded the Certificate of First Class by the Orchid Society of the United States.
The sobralia altíssima was called Flor Inkill by the ancient Peruvians. It can measure 14.3 meters in height and took its Latin name from that.
Peru is very rich in flora and fauna. As a clear example of that we have the orchids. We should take care of our environment in order to preserve this diversity for future generations so they too will know the beauty of all the orchids around us.
