The XIX National Orchid Exhibition, which began this week and runs through Sunday, September 25, is showcasing 1,500 plant varieties at the Bogotá Botanical Gardens José Celestino Mutis. After a two-year absence due to the coronavirus pandemic, edition 19 of the Orchid Exhibition is titled “Celebrating Life and Biodiversity,” and presented by the Bogotá Association of Orchidology, and participating guest organization The American Orchid Society AOS.
Designated the national flower of Colombia in 1936, orchids come in all shapes, colors and sizes; and grow in diverse terrains, from tropical rainforest to Andean wetlands. Botanists estimate some 28,000 species of Orchidaceae grow in the world and are distributed among 763 genera. Colombia is the richest country in the world for orchids, accounting for 274 genera, and 4,270 species – 1,572 of which are exclusive to the country. Colombia’s National Natural Parks are home to a quarter of the total number of orchids documented by scientists.
The Exposición Nacional de Orquídeas – Festejando la vida y la biodiversidad takes place in the garden’s Tropicario, a cubist menagerie of conjoining greenhouses ideal for safeguarding the 1,500 plants in different temperatures. The Garden will also present a stunning collection of orchids that grow in and around Bogotá.
“This is a space where one can view and appreciate a unique collection of orchid plants and learn how to care for them, and the ecosystems in which they are found,” highlighted the Bogotá Botanical Garden’s director Martha Perdomo Ramírez.
The exhibition also features an agenda of family activities, such as plays, painting workshops, concerts, kid-friendly activities, t-shirt printing contest, academic lectures on the significance of orchids in the history and memory of the country, and hands-on training in orchid management, planting, and care. Visitors will be able to buy orchids at this exhibition, each accompanied by detailed information as to their origins, and genera.
The exhibition is open from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm and tickets are priced at COP$5,000 for children ages 6 to 12; and $15,000 general admission.
Bogotá Botanical Gardens José Celestino Mutis. Calle 63 No.68-95.
