This is a Phalaenopsis (fail-an-op-sis) orchid. Do you know what makes an orchid an orchid? In orchids, the sexual parts of the flower, the stamens and pistils, are fused into a single structure called the 'column.' In the Phalaenopsis orchid shown here, the' column' is in the center of the flower just above the 'lip'. (Caption contributed by Tom Oder.)
{}