Curtis Botanical – Plate 5941 – Yellow Bee Orchid

Original antique black-and-white print from Curtis's Botanical Magazine — Plate 5941.

One of the most extraordinary flowers in the world — a Mediterranean orchid whose lip has evolved to look, feel, and smell exactly like a female solitary bee. Male bees attempt to mate with it (a process called pseudocopulation), picking up pollen in the process.

Mediterranean heritage — Spanish, French, Italian, Greek, Turkish, North African customers.

Uncolored plate. Condition consistent with age of volume. Each print is a unique piece of botanical history, printed on paper aged over a century.

This is an original uncolored (plain) plate from leftover publisher stock of Curtis's Botanical Magazine, printed in London. It was issued uncolored and never bound. We bought the holding at the estate of a Chicago rare bookseller. Labels and stock papers from the British dealer Wheldon & Wesley came with it. Library stamps, when present, are noted on the listing.