The defining characteristic that makes an orchid an orchid is the flower. Orchids have three flower petals and three sepals. Also, the male and female flower parts--the stamen and the pistil--are fused into a single structure called the column. Finally, orchids have a single lip that extends at the base of the flower, called a labellum. This unique flower structure is the trait that all orchids share, and that separates this botanical family from all others.'"