Taste an Unforgettable Experience with This Exotic Blue Orchid of Waigeo Island West Papua

PAPUA BARAT – Indonesia known to be a country with thousands of orchid species in it. There are around 5000 more species of orchid living in this country including the exotic blue orchid. This exotic rare species of plants could be found in Waigeo island of West Papua.  

As its name, blue orchid has mesmerizing blue petals once its bloom. Blue orchid (Dendrobium azureum Schuit) was firstly found by a British girl Lucy Evelyn Cheesman in 1938. At then, she saw beautiful blue flowers sticking high on a branch of a tree.

Cheesman then took this rare species and labelled it as “Dendrobium, living in a tree, dark blue,”. She then gave it to an herbarium in London to be researched. She also wrote it in her book “Six Legged Snakes in New Guinea” back then.

Lately, the Natural Resources Conservation Center (BKSDA) of West Papua held an expedition to find out this exotic flower. And yes, they manage to find this beautiful flower at Waigeo Island west Papua at 700 meters above the sea level.

With the natural untouched forest, it’s not a hard thing to find this exotic orchid. This orchid used to live parasitically in another tree. It goes to several big trees such as Vatica rassak, Pometia pinnata, and Ficus sp around the forest.

However, as we all know that orchid species could live parasitically or just live in a terrestrial soil or topsoil there is still a chance to cultivate it. Sadly, this exotic flower will only bloom and show its beauty for a week.

“This blue orchid is one of the reasons why Waigeo forest (West Papua) made as one conservational forest in this country,” the Chief in action of BKSDA West Papua Budi Mulyanto said. (*)

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