The paintings in the Gottorfer Codex in 1849 are largely faithful to nature. The artist obviously endeavoured to depict his subject matter with the greatest possible accuracy, allowing the plants to be easily recognised. However, there is one prominent and very interesting exception to this rule: one that concerns some of the depictions of orchids. Out of the 22 orchids depicted, 11 have been caricatured to exaggerate their resemblance to small birds, men and insects. The article considers this strange phenomenon in light of the historical meaning of the orchids.