Orchid flowers (Epidendrum stamfordianum). Each flower has a many-lobed lip (white/pink and green) that hangs out from the centre of the flower. This is a specialised petal that attracts pollinators to the flowers and provides them with a landing platform. This orchid is found in the American tropics, from Mexico to Colombia. It is an epiphytic orchid (one that grows on trees). There are more than 30,000 species of orchids worldwide, many of which are grown as ornamental flowers.