Bulbophyllum nocturnum (lat.) Is a species of monocotyledonous plants of the genus Bulbofillum ( Bulbophyllum ) of the Orchid family ( Orchidaceae ). First described by a group of nerds in 2011 [2] .
| Bulbophyllum nocturnum |
| Scientific classification |
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| The kingdom : | Green plants |
| Class: | Monocotyledonous [1] |
| View: | Bulbophyllum nocturnum |
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| International Scientific Name |
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Bulbophyllum nocturnum JJ Verm. , de Vogel , Schuit. & A.Vogel , 2011 |
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An unusual feature of Bulbophyllum nocturnum is that it is the only orchid species that opens and blooms exclusively at night [3] . In 2012, the taxon entered the list of ten most remarkable species according to the ( USA ) [4] .
Endemic of Papua New Guinea [5] , found only on New Britain [6] [7] [8] .
It grows in tropical forests at an altitude of 240-300 meters above sea level [9] .
Epiphytic plant [5] .
The rhizome up to 15 cm long, has a pseudobulb with oval-shaped leaves up to 6 × 3 cm in size [7] .
Flowers are about 2.5 cm in diameter with small petals , surrounded by three narrow sepals of yellowish-green color and red at the base; the lip is dark red, the column is yellow with a reddish tinge. The flowers have bizarre, filamentous appendages of gray color, externally resembling some species of myxomycetes , which potential pollinators eat [7] . No less important for attracting the latter is the smell of this species, which is not felt by man, but felt and attractive for small insects . It is not yet known who exactly pollinates this plant, however, most likely, small nocturnal flies act as pollinators, since the irregular shape of the flower of this type of bulbophyllum is not suitable for pollination by butterflies [6] .
Bulbophyllum nocturnum blooms only at night, consistently dissolving [9] from ten o'clock in the evening [3] and closing soon after sunrise, after which the flowers wither. With what exactly such a flowering cycle is connected, it is still unclear [6] . Since the observation of flowering was carried out in captivity, it is also unknown whether the flowers are more “tenacious” in the wild [7] . This is the first and only known species of the Orchid family, which has just such a cycle of opening its flowers, although in general in flowering plants such behavior is not uncommon [6] .
Seeds are numerous, small; they almost do not have sufficient energy reserves to germinate on their own, and therefore they enter into symbiotic relationships with small fungi for germination [7] .
Currently, the International Union for Conservation of Nature does not have sufficient data on the state of the plant population, although it is obvious that it is limited in nature [7] . The areas of the range Bulbophyllum nocturnum are officially open for logging, which can be detrimental to the species. The researchers are going to get the authorities of Papua New Guinea to revoke the license of the logging company to work in the area where it grows [6] . Introduce measures that limit international trade in plants [7] .
Attempts are being made to cultivate an unusual night orchid. Currently, its samples are grown in the botanical garden of Leiden (the Netherlands ) [7] .