Native to high-elevation cloud forests across Latin America, the unusual flowers feature bizarre visual likenesses to dragons, monkeys, and even skulls. The fragile plants face escalating extinction risks in their native ranges, largely driven by habitat destruction and illicit plant poaching. Because the genus demands precise humidity and cloud cover to survive, zoo teams are intentionally cultivating the sensitive specimens to preserve their genetic diversity. This prestigious botanical milestone formally acknowledges the facility's role in sustaining over half of the 147 scientifically recorded species.
Key points
Severe wild threats including mining and collector-driven illegal extraction make ex situ…: Severe wild threats including mining and collector-driven illegal extraction make ex situ horticultural preservation vital.
The specialized Andean cloud forest plants reproduce by mimicking mushroom scents to attr…: The specialized Andean cloud forest plants reproduce by mimicking mushroom scents to attract pollinating fungus gnats.
Cultivating the rare genus requires highly technical botanical care due to the orchids' r…: Cultivating the rare genus requires highly technical botanical care due to the orchids' rigid humidity and cloud-cover requirements.
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When we hear about Dracula, the first thing that probably comes to mind is the famous vampire, with long, sharp teeth, a blood-filled mouth and a desire to kill. A soft flower would probably be the last thing to come to mind, but nature has its own version of Dracula, and these are not creatures hiding deep inside dark forests, but rather some strange-looking flowers found in the cloud forests of South America.
With faces that resemble monkeys, dragons and, if your mind is a little more creative, goblins from horror movies, Dracula orchids have recently attracted attention after a collection at Chester Zoo in England was recognised as a National Plant Collection, highlighting the importance of protecting these unusual flowers as their natural habitats face growing threats.
The recognition was awarded by Plant Heritage, a UK-based plant conservation charity, to Chester Zoo's collection of Dracula orchids. The zoo looks after more than 75 of the 147 scientifically recognised species of these orchids, making it home to one of the most significant collections of the genus. The recognition also marks…
Excavations in a home along Via dell'Abbondanza have exposed everyday possessions preserved under volcanic ash since Mount Vesuvius erupted in AD 79. The abandoned collection of commercial weights, currency, and sacred trinkets suggests the occupants fled in haste without their most portable wealth. These domestic items offer fresh insight into the personal sentiments and daily trade practices of typical urban Roman households.
A collaborative international research team has created an electrically driven molecular motor suspended between two atomic-scale gold tips. Passing electrical current through the spiral-shaped molecule transfers angular momentum from electrons, generating continuous and directionally controllable rotation. This novel mechanical motion dramatically alters performance by significantly boosting the system's electrical conductivity.
Researchers from Mansoura University and the University of Southern California have unearthed the first definitive fossil ape ever discovered in North Africa. Found at Wadi Moghra in northern Egypt, the 17- to 18-million-year-old specimen suggests modern ape and human ancestors may have evolved in North Africa and the Middle East instead of East Africa. This shift challenges decades of scientific consensus that placed early ape evolution almost exclusively further south.