The U.S. Botanic Garden and Smithsonian’s 28th annual orchid exhibit is now open for visitors. This year, the display includes roughly 350 live orchids along with sculptures that showcase the anatomy of the plant, the botanic garden said.
Smithsonian Horticulturist Virginia Thaxton said the exhibit’s theme, “The Future of Orchids: Conservation and Collaboration,” tells the story of how orchid families may change over time as a result of climate change.
This collection “is an important resource for conserving DNA and species genomes,” Thaxton added.
There are approximately 30,000 species of orchids, making them one of the most “diverse families in the plant kingdom,” according to the U.S. Botanic Garden.
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Phaan Howng, the Baltimore-based artist who created the colorful orchid sculptures using 3D image scans of the plants, said the live orchids are “brilliant, rich and wild looking.”
Howng’s colorful and nature-inspired sculptures are scattered throughout the exhibit. They are placed on trees, rocks and next to plants to illustrate the different environments where orchids survive.
The flowers go perfectly with her artwork, she said.
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This exhibit is open until April 28 in the Kogod Courtyard at the National Portrait Gallery/Smithsonian American Art Museum. It’s free to visit and can be viewed online.
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