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Once the national flower of Venezuela and still gracing the
country's 500 bolivar note, Catasetum pileatum is highly
esteemed by collectors even though its large flowers last only a few
days. This unusual orchid produces flowers that are either male or
female, not both, as in all other orchids. Male flowers of this
species are colorful and variegated, as seen here, while females are
yellow-green and uniform in pattern. Besides Venezuela,
C. pileatum is native to Colombia, Brazil, and Trinidad and
Tobago.
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