A photo circulating on social media appears to show a flower that is in the shape of a woman. Some users claim that it is a real, rare kind of orchid. This is false: the image shows a fairy tale figure on display in a Japanese garden in 2015.
An example can be seen here on Facebook.
Some users commenting on the photo question its authenticity and even mention it digitally altered, but others do not, with comments that read: “Actually it really is” and “Is it a real flower? Looks like the texture of orchid. It looks like a fairy riding on a (sic) back of a swan. Wow !! “
Reuters could not determine the source of the photo, but it has been online since at least 2017 (here).
The same figure can be seen here from a different angle in a Japanese blog entry published in 2015, about an exhibition of ‘fairies’ in the Hisaya Odori Garden Flarie. More photos can be seen here.
The Indian fact-checking website Check4Spam has previously addressed the photo here.
VERDICT
Incorrectly marked. The photo does not show an authentic flower, but a statue in a garden.
This article was produced by the Reuters Fact Check team. Read more about our fact-checking work here.