This ridiculous photo of an orchid that looks like a school of fish is beyond the pale! Who would believe it? Surely there are no plants that look like fish, right? Well, just keep reading as CryptoVille investigates!

Not long ago, I saw this silly photo on Facebook and wanted to be sure it didn’t get much traction. So let’s start with the fact that this is not real and there is no plant, orchid or otherwise, that looks just like this one. What we have here is another Photoshopped Wonder.

They may have based it off a real flower called a Penstemon. Here are a few photos of this lovely plant. It definitely looks like a flower, not a clump of fish.

You know how I like to surprise you, and at this point you may be wondering, well Susan, IS there any kind of plant that looks like a fish?  Why yes there is!!

Let me introduce you to the Goldfish Plant (Nematanthus nervosus):

This plant originated in the tropical forests of Brazil. Like an orchid, it grows on trees in the wild. The plants put their roots down in the tree bark (without hurting the tree – they’re not a parasite), and then live off the air and moisture it collects from the atmosphere.  For this reason, this plant makes a great hanging basket presentation.

If you look at the flowers, they do sort of look like a goldfish, but more like little fat ones that you’re viewing either from the front, or the backside. They almost look like berries to me, but they aren’t. They are definitely flowers. The bright orange looks beautiful against the darker green leaves.

If you can stand it, there is also another Goldfish Plant (Columnea Family) and this is what it looks like:

You can see how the long arching flowers look like the body of a goldfish. I had one of these a few years ago and they are lovely. These look more like goldfish, I think, especially when you stand back from the plant. Again, the bright orange flowers look beautiful against the deep green leaves.

This plant hails from South America, but this time from eastern Mexico. There are over 100 species of Columnea and this family of plant is related to the African violet which surprised me.

Like Nematanthus nervosus, these plants originally grew attached to trees by their roots, and lived off the moisture and air in the atmosphere around them.

Well, I know what you’re thinking. Flowers aren’t cryptids! I know, but that photoshopped nonsense at the top of the page got me going.

I’ll be back soon to cover some more creepy cryptids! Please stay tuned! 😊

Please stop by our Facebook page, CryptoVille, where we share all manner of strange, beautiful, and sometimes silly things related to the world of Cryptozoology! Like our page while you’re there.

References

https://plantcaretoday.com/goldfish-plant.html

https://worldoffloweringplants.com/grow-care-nematanthus/