A rare tropical orchid is blooming for the first time at Ball State University and will be on display in Christy Woods this week.
The Coryanthes orchid, or the Bucket orchid, is a rare flower found in Amazonian South America. It is at Ball State as part of the Wheeler Orchid Collection.
The orchid collection was originally donated to the university in 1971 by W.O. and Goldie Wheeler of Indianapolis, according to the collection's Web site.
Donors have continued to add to the collection, which now features more than 1,800 plants. More than 700 species of orchids are represented, making this collection of orchids the largest in North America.
The Bucket orchid was described for the first time in 1990, according to the Tropical Orchid Farm Inc. Web site.
This species boasts one to five golden flowers on each stem and insects are drawn to the species because of a strong odor it releases.
To see the orchid in bloom, visit Christy Woods Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
For more information about the Wheeler Orchid Collection, visit www.bsu.edu/fseec.
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