I get many questions every week from my orchid jewelry fans out there. Everyone thinks orchids are so hard to grow but understanding them is the key I think.
Orchids are very unique different plants. The structure of the flower makes orchids different from all other plants. Each orchid flower has 3 sepals and petals that alternate around the middle of the flower, while some of these pars are modified and not very easily recognizable. In the center lower petal of an orchid flower is the lipt. In the center of the orchid flower is a club shaped column and this is a combination of male and female reproduction organs all in one location. On a lady slipper, or bellatullum as it’s technical name is, as an insect crawls inside and crawls out, the plant pollinates itself.
The word orchids is Greek for testicles. Theophratus, the father of botany, gave these plants that name because he thought their orb-like roots resembled parts of the male anatomy they were named after. Medieval herbalists believed that eating orchids produced desire among women, because the flowers resembled female sex organs, and increased the likelihood of giving birth to a son.
Orchids are the second largest natural order in the whole world of botany – being very diverse. There are thousands of varieties of orchid species and over a hundred thousand hybrid orchids. There are over 25,000 species of orchid in 700 genera. They make up the largest family of flowering plant and comprise nearly a seventh of all plant species. Some orchids are extremely rare and hard for gardeners grow. These sometimes produces magnificent, showy flower that in some cases bloom only once every few years. Others are common, and easy to grow. For instance,there are over 3500 dendrobiums and over 1500 phalenopsis. There are orchid flowers that can be found with a very wide range of characteristics, with orchids existing in nearly every color and shade. There are many variations in size and shape of orchids.
Orchids produce a dazzling variety of flowers. Species from Australia look like bearded hillbillies and bug-eyed donkeys. The Mediterranean Ophrys resembles a female wasp and gives off an odor that attracts pollinating male wasps. The Guatemalan tiger orchid has a bee platform that looks like Santa Clause.
The smallest orchid blooms, from the cloud forests of Venezuela, are small enough fit on the head of a pin, and largest orchid flowers are over a foot across. The plants of some species are over 100 feet long. One species from Malaysia and the Philippines produce plants that weigh over a ton and produces 10,000 flowers each blooming season.
The Javanese dendrobium produces a bloom that lasts of for only five or six minutes. The flowers of most orchids however are very long-lived, lasting for several weeks or several months. Some produce a heavenly scent, some smell like rotten meat and other produced blooms that look spiders, slippers, bumblebees, buckets dancing ladies and have been named accordingly. Some flowers have developed custom tubes that are form fitted for specific species of moth.
The dendrobium orchid, which is collected by the truckload in the Kachin Province of Myanmar is used in Asian and Ayurveda medicine and in some places is more highly valued than ginseng. There has been some discussion of cultivating the orchid commercially and making medicines with it.
An unusual species of white orchid—the star orchid—found in Madagascar holds nectar at the extreme end of a foot-long spur. Darwin postulated in the 19th century that there must be a species of moth with an 12 inch proboscis that could reach the fluid and pollinate the flower. Even though he was scoffed at by other scientists 40 years later a night-flying hawk moth was discovered in the island with a 12 inch tongue.
Hundreds of new orchid species come to light every year. The search is fueled by a lucrative market for new species and the willingness of orchid hunters to search remote jungles for new species.
Did you know Vanilla comes from an orchid that was introduced to Europe by the Aztecs?
Most orchids are from the jungle and this exotic background is part of what makes them very attractive to buy. Orchids are found on every continent except Antarctica.
Orchid love humidity. If you are up North, try putting them in your bathroom after a shower for a splash of tropic weather…humid! I have the most problem with phalenopsis. They hate the weather swings and unfortunately where I live they can go from 35 to 80 degrees in 2 days. I bring them inside during these times. Phalenopsis also love the ice cube trick. give them 2-3 ice cubes a week in the moss or bark. not directly on the roots or on the plant itself. My cymbidiums love a dose of AC in the summer as they prefer cooler weather. Also, I find my orchids love being very near my oak trees. I think this could be the humidity caused from the inches of mulch I add every year. as I think of more tidbits I will try to post.
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