Dissecting an orchid

We found a member of the dendrobium family and started pulling it apart to see how the different parts come together. We are interested in how the petals form from one point near the stem, fold back on themselves, curve backward, curve down, and finally curve open all the way. This creates a complex space inside where the sexual organs converge and all sorts of structural shenanigans occur. More on that later...

The rest of the photoset is here.