Is it an alien? Is it a sea anemone? Should you have said yes to that post-rave cup of coffee in hopes of quelling your neon visions? Nope, it's the Naked Man Orchid! Also known as the Hanging Man Orchid, these flowers native to the Mediterranean regions and resemble tiny little hanging naked men, from their dotted eyes and smiles right down to their little, but proud you-know-whats.
Naked Man Orchids come in all sizes and usually range in color from light purplish-white to deep purple-pink. Some hybrids of this flower have broader pink petals that enclose the top of the flower, almost like a hood or a bonnet.
The Naked Man Orchid is classified as having a threatened status, perhaps because of its popularity as an antidiarrheal, antiflatulent and aphrodisiac. Another crazy fact about these fun flowers: they're used in making the drink salep (also called Turkish Delight).
Want to try out your own batch of homemade salep? Well, if you've got an abundance of these little rarities, you can grind up the tubers into a flower that resembles arrowroot. (This is the basis of the thick, sweet, coffee-like drink.)
Because the Naked Man Orchid has a threatened status, it is illegal to export true salep powder from the Mediterranean regions