Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2020/12/17/this-is-the-ugliest-orchid-in-the-world.html
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Harsh. Now you’ve upset its mom.
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What’s the energy source of a plant without leaves?
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It might “borrow” nutrient, like the Indian Pipe (often called a fungus, but actually a wildflower):
Indian pipe is a parasitic plant that survives by borrowing nutrients from certain fungi, trees and decaying plant matter. This complicated, mutually beneficial process allows the plant to survive.
No chlorophyll, no petals or leaves, it’s cool. Some grows in our woods each year.
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Ugly as it may be there are orchid growers who already want to know how they can get one.
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Well, consider its etymology
orchid (n.)
1845, introduced by John Lindley in the third edition of “School Botany,” from Modern Latin Orchideæ (Linnaeus), the plant’s family name, from Latin orchis, a kind of orchid, from Greek orkhis (genitive orkheos) “orchid,” literally “testicle”," from PIE *h(o)rghi-, the standard Indo-European word for “testicle” (source also of Avestan erezi, Armenian orjik’ “testicles,” Old Irish uirge, Hittite arki- “testicle,” Lithuanian eržilas “stallion”).
ok ok… that’s because of the shape of its root, (but you still want to avoid having an orchiectomy) next up: why is it a “Venus flytrap”?
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Official Flower of 2020!
OR
It saw what 2020 was about, and just went underground.
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I don’t know. Are you sure that’s not the Eraserhead baby?
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I grow orchids.
I think it’s kinda cute, in a toadish way!
would not grow here, though. I just hope that the orchid fanatics out there (and man are they out there!) don’t destroy it trying to find and take them for cultivating in their “collections”
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Yes, other Gastrodia species are myco-heterotrophs, essentially parasites of fungi.
Quite a few other orchid species do this, the best-known round here is the Birdsnest orchid:
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Orchid fan? 
Ugliest orchid in the world?
That is one repulsive plant, no matter what it smells like.
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I personally would have voted for Audreyii, or maybe Triffidii.
There are some orchids that are mycorrhizal with saprophytes.
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With that picture, I’m not sure I’d go so much “testicle” as I’d say “disembodied pig rectum”…
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It’s a baby sandworm.
Beauty, beholder, eye etc. - I think a greater historical and cultural field of discourse could be the aesthetic appreciation of human testicles, balls, nut sack et. al.???
The balls are an easy shot with regard to a negative aesthetic connotation…
Just stirring the pot re ideas of “ugly” 
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Feed Meeeeee!
I mis-read the article title and thought it said worlds ugliest child…
after seeing the picture it looks more like a body orifice.
