Not all orchids look pretty. Some have a quite repelling appearance. Yet they are revered among those fond of botany, for these people see beyond decoration. Quite a while ago, the Splendid slipper orchid, a genus of the Lady’s Slipper Orchid grown in Meghalayan hills, found itself in the company of such botanists. Except, these botanists lived far away from the native lands of the slipper orchids: as far as England.
During the great orchid boom of the nineteenth century, the Lady’s slipper orchid was of interest to the English. They took back with them all the varieties in Meghalaya they could find. It drove orchids to extinction in 1917. In 1930, a single Lady’s Slipper was found surviving. Since then, the plant has tight wrung security, more expensive than most celebrities. Only a few people on the planet know where the orchids in England are.
Scientists, of course, worked on creating multitudes of the orchids to combat its rarity. This, however, came with dangers. One orchid could cost 5000 pounds on the black market, thus increasing the chances of thievery. In 2009, fears of thievery came true. Exactly one part of a Lady’s Slipper was taken from the Lancashire golf club. Luckily, there are still other plants existing.
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