Post No. 10. Orchids.
The Orchidaceae are a diverse and widespread family of
flowering plants, with blooms that are often colourful and fragrant, commonly
known as the orchid family.
Along with the Asteraceae, they are one of the two largest
families of flowering plants. The Orchidaceae have about 28,000 currently
accepted species, distributed in about 763 genera. The family also includes
Vanilla (the genus of the vanilla plant), Orchis (type genus), and many
commonly cultivated plants such as Phalaenopsis and Cattleya. More over, since
the introduction of tropical species into cultivation in the 19th century,
horticulturists have produced more than 100,000 hybrids and cultivars. Orchids
are easily distinguished from other plants, as they share some very evident,
shared derived characteristics, or “apomorphies”. Among these are: bilateral
symmetry of the flower (zygomorphism), many resupinate flowers, a nearly always
highly modified petal (labellum), fused stamens and carpels, and extremely
small seeds.
All orchids are perennial herbs that lack any permanent
woody structure. They can grow according two patterns:
- Monopodial.
The stem grows from a single bud, leaves are added from the apex each year
and the stem grows longer accordingly.
- Sympodial. Sympodial orchids have a front (the
newest growth) and a back ( the oldest growth). The plant produces a
series of adjacent shoots which grow to a certain size, bloom and then
stop growing and are preplaced.
Terrestrial orchids may be rhizomatous or form corms or
tubers. The root caps of terrestrial orchids are smooth and white.
Some sympodial terrestrial orchids, such as Orchis and
Ophrys, have two subterranean tuberous roots. One is used as a food reserve for
wintry periods, and provides for the development of the other one, from which
visible growth develops.
Epiphytic orchids, those that grow upon a support, have
modified aerial roots that dan sometimes be a few meters long. In the older
parts of the roots, a modified spongy epidermis, called velamen, has the
function to absorb humidity.
The Orchidaceae are well known for many structural
variations in their flowers. Some orchids have single flowers, but most have a
racemose inflorescence, sometimes with a large number of flowers. The flowering
stem can be basal, that is, produced from the base of the tuber, like in
Cymbidium, apical, meaning it grows from the apex of the main stem, like in
Cattleya, or axillary, from the leaf axil, as in Vanda.
Some species, such as Phalaenopsis, Dendrobium, and Vanda,
produce offshoots or plantlets formed from one of the nodes along the stem,
through the accumulation of growth hormones at that point. These shoots are
known as keiki.
Orchidaceae are cosmopolitan, occurring in almost every
habitat apart from glaciers.The world’s richest diversity of orchid genera and
species is found in the tropics, but they are also found above the Artic Circle Macquarie Island
They are used as Perfumery, Horticulture, food or
traditional medicine uses.
The dried seed pods of one orchid genus, Vanilla (
especially Vanilla planifolia) are commercially important as a flavouring in
baking, for perfume manufacture and aromatherapy. The underground tubers of
terrestrial orchids are ground to a powder and used for cooking, such as in the
hot beverage sapep or in the Turkish frozen treat dondurma.
Orchids have been used in traditional medicine in an effort
to treat many diseases and ailments. They have been used as a source of hermal
remedies in China
Orchids are included in the history of the world. They are
in the history in traditional Chinese medicine, Darwin
There is a story about a child named Orchid, the son of a nymph and a satyr. He was torn apart by wild beasts after attempting to rape a priestess. The story says that he metamorphosed into an Orchid after his death.Darwin
There is a story about a child named Orchid, the son of a nymph and a satyr. He was torn apart by wild beasts after attempting to rape a priestess. The story says that he metamorphosed into an Orchid after his death.
Orchids are associated to many symbolic values and are the
national flower in some countries. Although we can fine infinite photos of
beautiful orchids I included a photo of a “Peristeria elata” or “Holy Ghost
Orchid”. This one was the last creation of my father.
This post tries to be a general description of the origin and significance of these fascinating flowers and as a relaxing post after the previous complex posts.
This post tries to be a general description of the origin and significance of these fascinating flowers and as a relaxing post after the previous complex posts.
Identifying the Most Common types of Orchids. Time: 1:17:
Top 5 Orchids for beginners. Time: 11:08:
Proflowers Blog:
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