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Waterlily Orchid

Flower type: Biennial (Stores water in the thickened base of its stem)

This enormous flower grows up to 16.3 feet (5.0 meters) tall. Its orange stem is wispy and splits into 3 branching stems at the top, and the small, pink-red leaves are wispy with rounded edges. A pair of leaves grow at the base of the stem.

A single tiny flower sits at the end of the stem. The flowers are 22 cm (8.7 inches) wide, with petals that are vivid purple on the edges and grey at the center. The flower head is made up of several petals in raised layers. They are sturdy.

It has a strong scent that smells like rotten meat, and it has very little pollen, but can cause severe allergic reactions. It is pollinated by a small species of bird, but is also visited by one species of insect in particular.

It comes in 15 varieties, each with a different leaf colour.
It absorbs an exceptionally large amount of water each day.
It is suitable for creating fine, soft textiles