Ecobreves – VENEZUELA: Endangered Orchids in Religious Procession

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CARACAS, Apr 7 2007 (IPS) - The Nazarene of St. Paul procession that takes place each year on Wednesday of Catholic Holy Week in the city center of Caracas, was this year adorned with 5,000 orchids that are endangered in Venezuela. This annual tradition coincided with the 62nd Annual Orchid Expo, which showcased 2,000 plants of 200 species, with the top award going to a “Cattleya mossiae semi-alba” (white with a lilac-colored center), “a rarity,” Brenda Hutton, of the Venezuelan Society of Natural Sciences, told Tierramérica.

The Cattleya mossiae, known here as the flower of May, “is among the most threatened orchids in our territory, due to the plundering for its sale, and the destruction of its habitat,” says Alejandro D'Hers, one of the expo's organizers.