Chris Savas wrote:
Granted, there are many mentions of orchids in print, TV, etc.

When I was a child during the '30s, there was a comic strip in the Sunday
Chicago Tribune. The title was 'Brenda Starr' who was a newspaper reporter.
Another character in the strip was a mysterious man (an admirerer?) who grew
BLACK ORCHIDS.

The character was Ms Starr's lover, Basil St John. He needed the
orchids to produce a serum for protection against some unspecified
exotic disease.

He wore an eye-patch, IIRC.


J. Del Col