Rare Omkara Flower in Himalayas, Grows Once in 50 Years: Fact Check

Story:

Very rare flower found in Himalayas, grows once in 50 years and it is called as Omkara Pushpam as its shape.

Other Versions

(Hindi)
50 साल में एक बार खिलने वाला ** ॐ कार पुष्प **
प्राकृति देन आपके दर्शनाथ
आगे भेजीये ताकि और लोग देख सके

Fact Check:

A picture of a Omkara shaped flower (Pushpam in Sanskrit language) doing rounds on social media sites like Google Plus and other image sharing sites comes with a story describing it as a rare flower found in Himalayas that grows once in 50 years. Although the image is real and it resembles the Hindu symbol Om, the other claims associated to it are hoaxes.

Rare, Omkara Flower in Himalayas?

Seen in the picture is in fact a white, fragrant flower of a plant called Dendrophylax lindenii that belongs to family Orchidaceae (commonly known as the orchid family). As you can see in the pictures, the flowers are borne on spikes arising from the root network. Notably, Dendrophylax lindenii is native to Florida, Cuba and the Bahamas. Other common names of the plant include palm polly and white frog orchid. It is also called “Ghost Orchid” as the roots are so well camouflaged on the plant that the flower appears to float in mid-air.

Coming to the shape of the flower, the lower petal (the labellum) has two long, lateral tendrils that twist downward slightly, and resemble the hind legs of a Jumping Frog. From another angle the flower does appear like Hindu symbol Om (syllable also referred to as Omkara). On the other hand, Orchidaceae plant family produce different shapes of flowers, with blooms that are often colourful and fragrant. A similar story popular online claims to show a rare flower Nagapushpa found in the Himalayas.

So the claim in question that the picture shows rare, Omkara flower found once in 50 years in Himalayas is not a fact.

Hoax or Fact:

Hoax with some valid information.