Like most gardeners, I occasionally stumble upon fruits and flowers that resemble something else. But a naked man was not on my botanical bingo card. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Associated Press.

Tomatoes can take on shapes of horned animals, Russian dolls, large-nosed characters. But I thought orchids were more polite. As it turns out, they aren't. Here are the five that impress and amuse me the most.

**Orchis italica**, aka the naked man orchid, smiles broadly as it hangs off the plant with legs splayed and arms extended as if requesting a hug. Its decision to forgo pants is obvious. Hailing from the Mediterranean region, it thrives in partial shade and infertile soil, growing up to 20 inches (50 cm) tall. Flowers appear in midspring.

**Anguloa uniflora** (swaddled baby) is a 2-foot (60 cm) tulip orchid that grows only in the Andes region of South America. Its pale-pink-to-white petals resemble a newborn baby wrapped in a blanket. High humidity is essential.

**Peristeria elata** (dove orchid) looks like a dove with head, beak, body, tail and purple-speckled wings. The national flower of Panama, called "flor del Espíritu Santo" (flower of the Holy Spirit), it has upright stems up to 3 feet (90 cm) long, each bearing up to 20 blooms from late summer through early fall. It thrives in warm conditions with ample air circulation and consistently moist roots.

**Ophrys bombyliflora** (bumble bee orchid) is the most cunning: its scent and flower resemble a female solitary bee. It tricks mate-seeking male bees into landing on it, only to have their hopes dashed, but they inadvertently pollinate the flower. Native to the Mediterranean.

**Dracula chimaera** (monkey orchid) is native to the high-altitude, humid forests of the Andes. It likes cool, moist, partly shady conditions. Growing just 6 to 12 inches (15-30 cm) tall and wide, its 2-inch (5 cm) flowers bear a striking resemblance to a monkey's face.

Unlike malformed tomatoes, these orchids' appearances are exactly what nature intended. They may be available at specialty nurseries, but growing them at home requires replicating their native climates (greenhouse, humidifiers). If not possible, simply delight in them from where you're sitting.