| The Orchids of Peru |

Orquidaceae is probably the largest family of plants with flower. Estimations suggest an existence of 30,000 species, adapted to the most diverse habitats, from Lithophytes, (orchids growing on rocks); or species as strange as Rhizantella gardneri, a subterranean orchid from Australia, that only sees the sun when it flowers; to Platystele stenostachya, an orchid with a flower so small it measures only 1 millimeter. Orchids can be found also as big plants with stalks of 3 to 4 meters producing dozens of flowers per plant like the Peruvian species Sobralia dichotoma naturally growing at Machu Picchu… Orchids have conquered almost every habitat on earth being absent only in Antarctica, the North Pole and in the most arid deserts. Orchids can be found in the wet forests of South America, in the Himalayas, in the tundra, the Andes, the everglades of Florida, etc… Appreciated the world over for their stylized forms and captivating aromas, the colorful and blinding flowers of countless species of orchids decorate and adorn different landscapes in the Andes, drawing the attention of researchers and travelers alike, who always stop to admire them.