An orchid photograph contribution from the personal collection of Andreas of Bogotá, Colombia (aka Quimbaya@Flickr | BPotD Flickr Group Pool | original image). Many thanks, Andreas!
Not only does it emit the smell of a fungus (its odor contains many of the same volatile compounds as mushrooms), but the floral lip of the orchid Dracula chestertonii closely resembles the gilled structure of some mushrooms. When female fungus flies are deceived into depositing their eggs on the flower, they also pollinate the orchid. For more on this mimickry (and particularly if you have library or university access to the full article), see the source for the above information: Kaiser, R. 2006. Flowers and Fungi Use Scents to Mimic Each Other. Science. 311(5762): 806-807 (the captions with the figures are somewhat informative if you don't have access to the entire article).
Dracula chestertonii is native to Colombia.
I should also note that the majority of online images for this plant show the flower flipped one hundred and eighty degrees (example), but there are a few with the perspective of today's photograph.
Photography resource link: The work of Hiroki Suzuki offers a glimpse into the landscapes of Japan. While the photographs are certainly worth viewing, be forewarned that each link opens in a new browser window.
The name of this orchid beginning with Dracula seems quite apparent to me with it's floral tip.It appears to me as if it resembles blood vessels.I might be in error,but the botanist who named this orchid might have a penchant towards the infamous character of horror films.Which I find quite amusing in naming this orchid.
The genus name for Dracula was coined in 1978 by Luer. The literal Latin translation is “little dragon”, but there is likely someone who knows if the author did have the character in mind; it certainly helps to grab attention (more on the genus Dracula).
One day I hope to see the plant named as
Dracula vampira (no kidding).
A google search on the web for Dracula vampira will give you plenty of pictures to choose from.
The genus Dracula was separated out from the genus Masdevallia by Luer, but most of the species have been known to science and orchid hobbyists for a long time. These plants used to belong to the section Chimaera of the genus Masdevallia, majority have inflated or saccate lips that are hinged and the flowers (many times the inflorescences) are pendulous, thus making it a little more difficult to tell which way is up, as in the case of the flower presented here.
Vampires are sometimes seen hanging upside down as well.