WASHINGTON, DC.- Smithsonian Gardens and the U.S. Botanic Garden will open the 16th annual orchid exhibition, “Orchids: A View from the East,” at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History Saturday, Jan. 29. The exhibition will display more than 300 plants representing 50 varieties of orchids. Orchids have been a part of Chinese culture for many centuries, permeating Chinese history, legends, literature and art. Since ancient times, orchids have been celebrated in China for their beauty and fragrance, and appreciated as symbols of nobility, friendship and refinement. The exhibition, which continues until April 24, reflects these themes and introduces visitors to long-standing traditions and contemporary trends in Chinese orchid culture. “The cultures of eastern Asia were likely the first cultivators of orchids and represent an important, yet virtually unknown, facet of orchid history,” said Tom Mirenda, museum specialist for the Orchid Collect