Corybas circinatus
WHAT IS IT? If any plant could be described as more than the sum of its parts, this new species of helmet orchid is surely it. The parts in question comprise one fingernail-sized leaf and a single bloom. But what exquisite parts they are, and how well they suit each other – this is beauty pared down to its bare essentials.
WHERE IS IT? Helmet orchids are pollinated by fungus gnats, which mistake the flower for a mushroom and transfer pollen as they rummage around for a suitable egg-laying site. This latest addition to the group grows on forest floors in the Philippines. SB