Volunteer Park Conservatory cycads, and orchids, visitors will find banana ("Musa"), Bird of Paradise ("Strelitzia"), "Anthurium" and ginger (Zingiberaceae) in this house. The conservatory’s orchid collection, which began as a gift from Mrs. Anna H. Clise in 1921, is also found in the Palm House. Orchids are a large and diverse flowering plant family composed of more than 20,000 species. The conservatory’s collection includes representatives of the largest genera – "Bulbophyllum", "Epidendrum", and "Dendrobium" – as well as commonly cultivated genera such as "Cattleya" and "Phalaenopsis". Transporting endangered orchids is prohibited by the Convention of International Trade of Endangered Species (CITES) and many
Anguilla bengalensis labiata Anguilla bengalensis labiata Anguilla bengalensis labiata, the African mottled eel, is a subspecies of eel in the genus "Anguilla" of the family Anguillidae. Showing the typical characteristics of the Anguillidae, this species grows to 1.75 m and as much as 20 kg. The adult diet consists of crabs, frogs and insects as well as fish. It is found in east Africa: Lake Kariba, middle Zambezi, Pungwe and Buzi systems, Upper and Lower Save/Rhunde system, Umzingwani and Limpopo rivers. The dorsal side of the fish is mottled yellow olive, the ventral surface lighter; adults are less obviously mottled than the juveniles.