20 Exotic Orchid Varieties

Towards the end of winter, when most people have a serious case of the winter blues, The Chicago Botanic Garden brightens the world with its annual Orchid Show. These aren't your typical supermarket orchids, this show brings together over 10,000 blooms of the rarest, most exotic orchids from around the world. If you can't make it to Chicago in February, enjoy this virtual tour of some of the prettiest florals we've ever seen.

First up: With delightful tendrils and multi-floral spikes up to two feet tall, the Paphiopedilum 'Chiu Hua Dancer' is one of the most unique orchids in the show.

The Chicago Botanic Garden is transformed into a tropical paradise every year with inspiring displays of, among others, multi-floral miniature orchids such as the Phalaenopsis 'Timothy Christopher'.

Could it have been their intoxicating scent that first caught the attention of Charles Darwin? 

This exotic orchid looks like it could use a shave and gains its name from the wild-haired Medusa from Greek mythology. Like many other flowers in the Orchidaceae family, this one is epiphytic, meaning it can grow without soil.