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The Lady-of-the-night orchid (Brassavola nodosa) belongs to Orchidaceae (the Orchid family). It is an evergreen perennial herb that is distributed from Mexico to Central America and northern South America, including Bolivia, Peru, and Brazil. It grows in lowland tropical rainforests and mangrove swamps at altitudes of 500 m or less, and attaches itself to trees and shorelines. It is about 40 cm tall and has club-shaped leaves. It produces pale greenish-white flowers from spring to fall. The flowers have a soapy fragrance and smell at night. The genus is named after Antonio Musa Brassavola (1500-1555), a 16th century Venetian botanist.
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