Night flowering Orchid

I guess many of you have heard of the discovery of a night flowering orchid.

Bulbophyllum nocturnum is unusual as it is the only known orchid that flowers ONLY at night.

The discoverer Dr de Vogel took the plant home to try and understand why the orchids buds appeared to wither when they reached a size that would normally produce 2cm flowers.

He found that the flowers open a few hours after dusk and remain open until a few hours after sunrise. The flowers opened for one night only which explains why they are withered the following day.