The word may well conjure up visions of graceful blossoms in a rainbow of colors hanging from slender stems.
For those who want orchids that won't die, a wide variety of coins and paper money depicting these exotic flowers are available.
Approximately 20,000 species of orchids grow nearly all over the world in all shades, shapes and sizes, and there's no end to the coins and notes featuring these plants.
According to collector and one-time orchid grower Andy Lanier, he has more than 500 such items in his numismatic collection.
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TWO SPECIES of orchids can be found on the face and back of the 500 new cruzados notes of Brazil. Both Cattleya and Laelia orchids are depicted.
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Lanier said he grew orchids for more than 30 years, collecting them in the wilds of south Florida and the Bahamas. He even sold some at one time.
Eventually the care of his orchid collection began to take more time than he was able to give and he gave them up, keeping just a few.
However, being a coin and paper money collector provided Lanier with a way to keep in touch with his beloved orchids.
"You can only put together so many collections of Lincoln cents and Roosevelt dimes and then they get out of reach," Lanier said. "I'm working on getting an example of every date issued," he said.
Lanier said as far as he knows he's the only one who's devoted himself exclusively to collecting coins and paper money depicting orchids.
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BELIZE coins and bank notes have featured orchids. This $10 note features Encyclia cochleata orchids on the back of the note.
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He said other collectors have expressed limited interest in his specialty and he's always willing to share information about where to find these items.
To that end he offers two lists - one with coins, medals and tokens and the other with paper money - featuring the country, date, denomination, metallic content and species of orchid depicted.
To receive a copy of the lists contact Andy Lanier, 4781B Sunny Palm Circle, West Palm Beach, FL 33415.
Orchids on notes and coins can sometimes be the main focus of the design or tucked away in a border or background.
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1990 BELIZE $2 coin marks the 90th birthday of the British queen mother with a spray of unidentified orchids to the right on the reverse.
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A total of 30 countries have issued coins depicting orchids and 21 nations have honored the orchid with a place on its notes. The countries range from Andorra to Western Samoa and just about everywhere in between.
By far Singapore has issued more coins and paper money depicting orchids than any other nation, according to Lanier's lists.
Singapore's national flower is an orchid, the Vanda Miss Joaquim species, so it's no surprise the nation's coins and money depict the many species.
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BAHAMAS used the delicate blossoms of the Encyclia orchid and an Amazon parrot on the reverse of this 1975 gold $100 coin. The coin marks the nation's second anniversary of independence achieved on July 10, 1973.
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At last count more than 60 Singaporean notes and more than nine coins depicting orchids are featured on Lanier's lists.
Many of Singapore's notes feature a single orchid blossom, used as an anti-counterfeiting device, others have small groupings of orchid blossoms and others have a spray of orchids tucked away in a corner.
Spectacularly colored orchids can also be found on the back of the Series 1981 500-bolivar note of Venezuela. The flowers have delicate yellow, pink and purple highlights against the darker green of the leaves.
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1992 GOLD 2,000-cruzeiro coin issued by Brazil features a Cattleya labiata orchid with a hummingbird.
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The 1990 500 new cruzados note of Brazil depicts two different orchid species: the Cattleya labiata and Laelia orchids.
A portrait of Augusto Ruschi, considered the leading authority on hummingbirds, appears on the face. Ruschi is depicted looking at a blooming orchid on the back of the note.
The 1992 2,000-cruzerio gold coin issued by Brazil features a Cattleya labiata orchid with a hummingbird.
In 1975 the Bahamas issued a gold $100 coin featuring blossoms of the Encyclia orchid and an Amazon parrot on the reverse.
A 1990 Belize coin, marking the 90th birthday of the queen mother of Great Britain, depicts a spray of orchids on the reverse.
The backs of 1990 notes of Belize feature a small vignette of Encyclia cochleata orchids tucked alongside a tapir and parrot.
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VANDA ORCHID blossoms can be seen on the back of the $500 note issued by Singapore.
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That vignette was used on the 1990 $1, $2, $5, $10, $20, $50 and $100 notes as well as on some later issues.
Malaysia has also featured orchids on its coins for 1-, 5-, 10-, 20- and 50-sen coins since 1967 and on its 1-ringgit coins from 1971 to 1988.
Most of those coins show a stylized design of a Vanda orchid. Notes of Malaysia also depict orchids on the 20- and 100-ringgit notes.
For those who want a taste of the exotic but don't want to build a greenhouse, collecting coins and notes depicting orchids might be a good place to start.
Check with world coin and paper money dealers who offer a wide variety of numismatic items.
