Orchid

Orchids are the largest flowering family on earth, with more than 25,000 species, and nearly all of them are masters of persuasion. Their shapes and scents are tuned to specific pollinators — a shape that mimics a female insect here, a landing platform there, a nectar tube fitted to one particular moth.

Hawaiʻi has only three native orchids, all modest and rarely seen. The showy ones filling island nurseries came later, and the state now grows orchids as a serious crop, shipping potted plants and sprays worldwide.

What makes them beloved is endurance. A single spray can hold its color for a month or more, which is why an orchid says something lasting rather than something fleeting.