Truly, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, even when it comes to orchids. Of over 35,000 species of orchids, it would just be fair that there are those whose beauties are simply weird and ugly. This came to mind while I was reading a blog entry about an orchid which what the writer described as an ugly plant. But the truth is the Cactus orchid she is talking about is quite beautiful when it blooms.

Now if you want to meet some orchids that would be quite intriguing to the eyes, then read on. But before you continue, remember as I’ve mentioned earlier, beauty is in the eye of the beholder (so not everyone may agree on what I classify as “ugly”).

The first orchid I want you to meet is very popular not only because of its weird looks but for its scent as well. The Bulbophyllum phalaenopsis is maybe one of the worst smelling, if not the smelliest orchid around. Its scent is described to be like rotting flesh; this is because in the wild its main pollinators are flies.

The scent attracts these specific insects to spread its smelly species. Fortunately, its smell cannot be detected by the human nose unless you come too close to these plants.

Now its flowers do not disappoint. They don’t look like flowers at all. Instead they look like brownish read leaves with lots of hair. Its leaves can grow up to 48 inches in length. This orchid is really one to see in person, just be careful not to come too close and smell its rotten scent.

The other orchid I’m going to introduce to you is the Warty hammer orchid or the Drakaea Livida. Now if you are looking for weird then this is the orchid for you. It was named specifically because the flower resembles a hammer. Its blackish violet flowers are very hairy as well.

Some flowers also have spots on them which make them even weirder to look at. It is said that it imitates the scent of a female wasp to attract male wasp to help them pollinate. It looks very flimsy especially because it doesn’t have very many leaves on its branch.

There may be more orchids out there that can be classified as weird and ugly, but for me these two make the top of my list.

Check out these two orchids and tell me what you think. Leave a comment below.

Just getting started with orchids? Here is some more information for beginners about orchid care.