An orchid that looks like a monkey

This orchid looks like a monkey's face.

And since this is the Year of the Monkey, it is apt that it will be part of the largest orchid show here.

More than 10,000 orchids - from over 100 species and hybrids - will transform the Flower Dome at Gardens by the Bay into an enchanted forest.

The colourful spectacle is part of Orchid Extravaganza, a show organised by Gardens by the Bay in conjunction with the Singapore Garden Festival which opens on Saturday.

PRIMATE PLANT: The Monkey Face Orchid is a species of the Dracula orchid. TNP PHOTO: ISKANDAR ROSSALI

Senior manager of plant introduction at Gardens by the Bay, Ms Lim Mei Leng, 40, said: "(We) hope to highlight interesting and unusual orchids not commonly found in Singapore."

Ms Lim has 20 years of horticultural experience and even worked at London's Kew Gardens, which famously supplied Singapore with saplings from Brazilian seeds to grow its first rubber trees in the 1870s.

GOING APE: Another Monkey Face Orchid. TNP PHOTO: ISKANDAR ROSSALI

Cattleyas and Draculas, orchids also from South America, were just some of the intriguing orchids Ms Lim singled out. "Cattleyas are famous for their scent and big bloom," she said.

VISUALLY APPEALING

"I also like the way the flowers (of Cattleyas) sit above the leaves. This makes them visually appealing."

The Dracula orchids are known for their unusual long tails at the end of each sepal - the part of the flower that supports the petals.

One species of the Dracula orchids is the Monkey Face Orchid. Its flowers resemble a monkey's face.

When asked if they were brought in because this is the Year of the Monkey, Ms Lim laughed and said: "They weren't purposely brought in for their monkey face.

"Our aim is really to highlight unusual orchids that aren't commonly found in Singapore. But this characteristic makes them memorable."

SMILE: Australian tourist Ashleigh Otto taking a selfie at Orchid Extravaganza with her parents. TNP PHOTO: ISKANDAR ROSSALI

The Vampire orchid, another species of the Dracula orchids, got its name from the two long tails that extend from the petals at its base, resembling a vampire's fangs.

Visitors will not be allowed to touch the orchids.

Tourist Li Hai Fang, 46, from Guangxi, China, was amazed at the beauty of the orchids, especially those she had never seen before.

Another tourist, Ms Ashleigh Otto, 22, from Cairns, Australia, said: "It is incredible. I don't think I have ever seen orchids so big before, and all of them are flowering.

"We have orchids at home, but they don't flower all at once. It is so beautiful here. I could just sit here all day."