They're not monkeys, but orchids!

At first glance, they look like a troop of monkeys hanging by their tails, looking into your eyes with a smile on their face. A closer look reveals they are in fact flowers. You begin to wonder how nature cleverly tricks the eyes. These are the monkey orchids, native to the cloud forests of Ecuador and Peru, that grow at an altitude of 1,000-2,000 metres. Like many orchids, they are epiphytes—they grow on other plants and absorb nutrients and water from the air, rain and other debris that accumulate around.

The monkey orchid (Dracula simia) has petals with white lips and tail-like purple appendages. It belongs to the genus Dracula—a moniker coined by the American botanist and orchid specialist Carlyle Luer, intrigued by the looks of these flowers. The genus, which consists of around 90 species, has many fascinating names. D. simia is named after the Linnaean primate group, D. vampira is called so because the flower looks like a hooded vampire, D. bella is the ‘beautiful dracula’, and D. chimaera is named after a mythical Greek monster.

These rare orchids are only found in the moist forests in Central America, stretching from southern Mexico to Peru—a region also occupied by many New World monkeys. While there is no way to confirm, some scientists speculate that the monkey-like resemblance may have evolved as a means to deter primates from munching on these orchids for a snack.

The unique beauty of the monkey orchids and their close cousins means that they are in great demand to adorn the window sills of orchid collectors and hobbyists. Some species are also sought for their purported medicinal properties. Unfortunately, that also spells a threat to the survival of these orchids. Vanilla, which flavours our ice cream, is also an orchid native to Mexico.

The international trade of 70% of the orchids is regulated by the inter-governmental Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species agreement. However, there’s a thriving illegal trafficking of orchids, especially in countries where regulations are lax. As a result, many species are on the IUCN’s Red List of Threatened Species. Some, like the Spectacular Grammangis (Grammangis spectabilis) endemic to Madagascar, and the Vietnamese Paphiopedilum (Paphiopedilum vietnamese) are already on the verge of extinction. But the world’s forests need orchids—not only to trick our eyes—but to act as indicators of the ecosystem's health.

— Spoorthy Raman