Stalking the Wild Literary Orchid
One of the enjoyable side hobbies to orchid apprecation is that of searching out references to these strangely fascinating flowers in literature and popular entertainment.
One of the earliest works in which an orchid plays a leading part is an odd little story by the early science fiction master, H.G. Wells. In fact, the story is not so much a specimen of science fiction as it is one of horror, and therefore something of a tangent for Wells. It has been republished numerous times and today you can easily find it on the Web. Occasionally it goes by the title, “The Flowering of the Strange Orchid,” and other times simply as “The Strange Orchid.”.”
Wells lived and wrote during the era of the first great orchid craze, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. This was also a time when there were still some isolated and relatively unexplored places in the world, which fired contemporary imaginations with imaginings of unknown monsters that might yet be lurking in some jungle or mountain fastness.
In his story, Wells built on the well-known mechanism of flowers discharging their scent into the air to attract insects, which in turn carry pollen from one plant to another, aiding the plants’ reproduction. What if–Wells wondered–there were a flower that took this a step further by evolving the ability to use its scent to overpower and feed on large animals?
The story centers on an Englishman with a passion for orchids who has acquired a rare specimen. After months of tending to it he is excited to see that it is about to blossom. He goes alone one afternoon to enjoy the first sight and smell of the unknown flower. Three hours later his housekeeper finds him lying unconscious before the orchid, which is giving out an intoxicating odor and is looking very vigorous and wicked. An ominous red tint suffuses its
leaves and it has already pushed some of its finger-like shoots round the orchid lover’s neck and beneath his shirt front.
With an inarticulate cry she ran towards him, and tried to pull him away from the leech-like suckers. She snapped two of these tentacles, and their sap dripped red.
Then the overpowering scent of the blossom began to make her head reel. How they clung to him! She tore at the tough ropes, and he and the white inflorescence swam about her. She felt she was fainting, knew she must not. She left him and hastily opened the nearest door, and, after she had panted for a moment in the fresh air, she had a brilliant inspiration. She caught up a flower-pot and smashed in the windows at the end of the greenhouse. Then she re-entered.
She tugged now with renewed strength at Wedderburn’s motionless body, and brought the strange orchid crashing to the floor. It still clung with the grimmest tenacity to its victim. In a frenzy, she lugged it and him into the open air.
Then she thought of tearing through the sucker rootlets one by one, and in another minute she had released him and was dragging him away from the horror.
He was white and bleeding from a dozen circular patches.
Thanks to the quick thinking of the housekeeper in this story, the orchid’s victim survives–this time.
Fortunately, man-eating orchids do not actually exist.You can, though, view this tale as symbolic of the strange grip that orchids can have on anyone who falls under their spell. People who succumb to orchid fever–and that includes everyone who decides to try their hand at growing them–tend to contract the illness for life. You have now been warned!
If these fascinating plants have put the bite on you, you’ll want to discover as much as you can about how to grow orchids successfully. The most thorough guide to expert orchid cultivation, I have found, is Orchid Care Expert by Nigel Howard, which is available to be downloaded online. Howard’s well-written guide constitutes a thorough education all by itself. And, it’s appropriate for neophytes as well as more seasoned orchid growers. Also, be sure to visit the Orchid Secrets web site, which contains a growing library of articles on many aspects of orchid cultivation.
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