Correspondence on not-so-famous lost words

Correspondence on not-so-famous lost words

“Man-eating orchids” (March-April). Bernard Witlieb suggested as a possible answer the short story “The Flowering of the Strange Orchid,” by H.G. Wells, in which a man breeds an orchid that overpowers him with its scent and sucks his blood until it is discovered in the act and destroyed by his housekeeper.

Send inquiries and answers to Chapter and Verse, Harvard Magazine, 7 Ware Street, Cambridge 02138, or via email to chapterandverse@harvardmag.com.

Related topics

You might also like

Author and Harvard Divinity School writer-in-residence Terry Tempest Williams finds beauty in the world around us.

Shakespeare and Stephen King Have a Lot in Common

Shakespeare scholar Caroline Bicks studies horror and fear in literature. 

Radcliffe Institute Announces 2026-2027 Fellows

Scholars will tap Harvard’s intellectual resources during the coming academic year.

Most popular

There’s a growing movement to curb light pollution. It starts on your front porch.

As weight loss medications become more common, Daniel Lieberman discusses the importance of preserving muscle.

The wealth and fall of David and Jackie Siegel: a documentary

A documentary film turns a lens on the “1 percenters.”

Explore More From Current Issue

A woman with long, silver hair rests her chin on her hand, wearing a black top.

Author and Harvard Divinity School writer-in-residence Terry Tempest Williams finds beauty in the world around us.

An open book with a film strip emerging, trailing popcorn and a dancer silhouette.

Readers Respond to Our Adaptations Survey

We asked people to share their favorite art adaptations. Here’s what they said.

Five individuals are posed in a monochrome outdoor setting near a cinderblock building, some standing, some seated.

Photographer and writer Morgan Smith chronicles life beyond the violence in Ciudad Juárez and other Mexican towns.