Orchids of Torres del Paine Orquídeas de Torres del Paine

While the beauty of Torres del Paine is easy to see, there is another less obvious beauty that hides during the winter months below the cold earth in the forest and later emerges, rapidly, to greet the spring. They are orchids, a group of plants that hold secrets far beyond their elegant beauty about their existence in such remote places.

There exists some 25,000 species of orchids in the world, mainly concentrated in tropical zones. They are herbaceous plants that live above soil or use other plants as their substratum (epiphytes). They are distinguished by the peculiarity of their flowers, especially the transformation of the labellum ( central petal), which is composed of complex colors and shapes, and sometimes seem to imitate the insects that pollinate them. Orchids develop complex interactions with their pollinators ( bees, wasps), as well as with mushrooms on the ground, with which its roots form a symbiotic relationship.

There are 49 orchid species in Chile, almost all endemic. Recently, about 20 volunteers with the environmental group AMA Torres del Paine, participating from Germany, Canada, Chile, China, Scotland, USA, France and England, charted more than 3000 plants in the park. They registered 9 species, including the first variety of albino flowers found in Chile, the Porcelain orchid (Chloraea magellanica).

Every November and December, it is easy to find them among bushes and forests, in soils that contain abundant organic material. Still, the orchids of Paine have not yet been studied extensively and little is known about their reproductive biology, the insects that pollinate them or their symbiotic relationships. Only future research campaigns will begin to unravel the biological secrets these plants still guard beyond their sublime, ephemeral beauty.