Bulbophyllum

The Botanical Garden has one of the world's largest collections of the Bulbophyllum genus from the orchid family. Some of these Bulbophyllum species are among the smallest orchids of all and are only a few millimetres in size. The largest representatives, on the other hand, have leaves up to 150 cm long and are among the largest orchids in the world – some of which can be seen on the back wall of the Tropical House.

The name Bulbophyllum refers to the large ’bulb’ (bulbo-). It is a thickened shoot axis in which the plant can store water. As an epiphyte in the canopy of trees, the plant has less water available than species that grow on the forest floor.

The flowers of Bulbophyllum species are often reddish-brown and give off a very unpleasant odour of faeces or carrion. This attracts flies, which involuntarily pollinate the flowers in search of the odour source.