Birth flower for December 5
Slipper orchid
Meaning: capricious beauty
Its name blends the Greek for Paphos, the Cypriot home of Aphrodite, with the word for sandal, which is why it is also called Venus's slipper. That puffy pouch is a trap: an insect slips in, and the only way out is a narrow back exit that brushes it against the pollen. Many wild species are endangered, and the whole genus is listed in CITES Appendix I.