Orchid Facts
By
Oliver Colmenar
Orchids as national/state/county flowers:
West
Western Isles,
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Epidendrum (Epi)
is the largest new
world tropical orchid genus and the second largest in the orchid family. This
genus was named by
Carolus Linnaeus in 1763. The name comes from two Greek words that
translate to “upon trees.” Its name refers to its mostly epiphytic growth habit,
although a few are terrestrial and are rarely lithophytic. It has 1,100 species
ranging from
Epidendrums come
in different sizes and appearances. They have racemose inflorescences, typical
of the colorful Epi hybrids we are so
familiar with. Some inflorescences occur as corymbs or panicles, like a bouquet
of flowers with a flat top. Flowers are small- to medium-sized and not usually
showy. Inflorescences are frequently dense, like the flowers on the Epi hybrids.
Many have fragrance. Flowers may be borne once on new inflorescences or over the
years on the same inflorescence. Seeds are contained in a rounded capsule
(correct botanical term for pod), with three ridges.
This genus has the following general characteristics:
· a slit rostellum, that part which separates the anther from the stigma in the column of the orchid flower.
· the lip is adnate to or connected to the column.
· 4 pollinia (which may sometimes have 2 inferior ones), rarely 2 pollinia.
·
their stems can be
erect, pendent, or
creeping, which are characteristically reed-like, simple or branching, or may be
pseudobulbs, or thickened stems.
Through the years many genera have been classified and/or reclassified as
synonyms to Epidendrum. One example is
Prostechea and
Anacheilum. These have been due to
obvious structural differences. The reported 400 new species described lately
may suffer the same fate of reclassification as the ones that preceded them.
Epidendrums
readily hybridize with orchids in the
Cattleya tribe, hence the genus
Epicattleya.
Adamara is
a hybrid that has Brassavola, Cattleya, Epidendrum,
and Laelia in its parentage. The
type species for this genus is
Epidendrum nocturnum (the
"Night-scented
Epidendrum").
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Cymbidium(Cym.),
also called “boat orchids,” was first described by Olof Swartz in 1799. The name
comes from the Greek word kumbos,
which means hole or cavity, referring to the shape of the base of the lip. It
has 52 species distributed in tropical and subtropical
Cymbidiums grow
with sympodial growing habit, like the Cattleya. Some can grow to a height of about two feet. The flower
stalks of some species can reach the length of three feet. Flower size range
from two to four inches. A flower stalk can bear fifteen or more flowers
depending on the species. The flower spikes from the base of the youngest mature
pseudobulb during the winter season. A plant with many pseudobulbs can have many
flowering spikes giving it a spectacular display. Colors
for this genus can
be white, green, yellowish-green, cream, yellow, brown, pink, and red (with
markings of different colors at the same time), but not blue and black. Recent
hybrids have produced dramatic dark maroon hues that can almost be considered
black. Their waxy flowers usually last ten weeks. They can grow as many as eight
long, narrow, green leaves on each pseudobulb. Probably the most number of
leaves produced on a pseudobulb in the orchid family.
They are one of
the most popular and desirable of orchids. Cymbidiums make great houseplants. In
temperate countries, they are relatively hardy, and can withstand temperatures
as low as 45˚F. The flowers make beautiful corsages and are used in floral
arrangements. In
The type species
Cymbidium aloifolium.
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Cattleya (C) was
named after
Sir William Cattley by John Lindley in 1824. Sir Cattley successfully
cultivated the Cattleya labiata pseudobulbs that were used as packing
material for shipment of other orchids.
This genus of about 113 species ranges
from
The typical
Cattleya flower has
three distinct parts: three narrow
sepals, two broad petals and specialized petal called the lip, which tends to be
the showiest or the most decorated of all the flower parts. Flowers can number
from one to ten on a flower stalk. The flower stalk is born at the top of the
pseudobulb right between the fold of the leaf or leaves.
Cattleyas can be unifoliate, bearing only one leaf at the top of the
pseudobulb (ex. Cattleya trainaei); or
bifoliate, two leaves at the top of the pseudobulb (ex.
Cattleya skinneri).
Cattleya Hybrids:
Laelia + Cattleya =
Laeliocattleya (Lc.)
Brassavola + Cattleya = Brassocattleya(Bc.)
Brassavola + Laelia + Cattleya = Brassolaeliocattleya (Blc.)
Sophronitis + Laelia + Cattleya = Sophrolaeliocattleya (Slc.)
Sophronitis + Laelia + Cattleya
+ Brassavola
Potinara = Potinara (Pot.)
Blc. +
Epidendrum = Adamara (Adm.)
Slc. + Broughtonia
= Hawkinsara (Hknsa.) Brassavola + Broughtonia + Cattleya + Cattleyopsis + Caularthron +
Epidendrum + Laelia + Sophronitis =
Gladysyeeara (Glya.)
The type species is Cattleya labiata.
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Orchidaceae
(or Orchid family) is the largest family of the flowering plants (Angiospermae).
It is a monocot, having only one seed leaf. It belongs to the order of
Asparagales (Asparagus).
Its name is derived from the genus Orchis. This genus gets its
name from the Greek όρχις orchis, meaning "testicle", from the appearance
of the paired subterranean tuberoids.
The Royal Botanical Gardens of Kew lists 880 genera and nearly 22,000
accepted species, but the exact number is unknown (perhaps as many as 25,000)
because of taxonomic disputes. The number of orchid species equals about four
times the number of mammal species, or more than twice the number of bird
species. It also encompasses about 6–11% of all seed plants. About 800 new
orchid species are added each year. Moreover, since the introduction of tropical
species in the 19th century, horticulturists have more than 100,000 hybrids and
cultivars.
Orchidaceae are cosmopolitan, occurring in almost every habitat apart
from deserts and glaciers. The great majority are to be found in the tropics,
mostly Asia, South America and
Source: Wikipedia
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Orchids can be grouped in terms of growth pattern. They can be either be
monopodial or sympodial. Monopodials have a single major stem. Examples
of which would be the Vanda, Phalaenopsis, Neofinetia, Renanthera, Rhyncostylis, and
Aerides. Sympodials, on the other
hand, have multiple growths. Most of the time, sympodials flower on new growth.
These are the likes of the Cattleyas,
Bulbophyllums, Cymbidiums, Coelogynes and
Paphiopedilum.
They can also be grouped according to where they are growing. Epiphytes
are attached to tree limbs, sending out aerial roots to gather moisture and
nutrients from the air. Lithophytes are those that grow on rocks.
Lithophytes feed off moss,
nutrients in rain water, litter, and even their own dead tissue. Terrestrials
are ground growing orchids. However, they do not grow exactly in soil. They
actually grow on humus or leaf litter accumulated on the forest floor. This
material is very porous. This can be duplicated with a fine bark mix in cultivation. Majority of
temperate zone orchids are terrestrial.
Source: Wikipedia
http://www.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/science/current_research/orchids
http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art33604.asp
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The orchid seed is the smallest seed in the world. Wayne’s World (http://waynesword.palomar.edu/index.htm), a website devoted to plant facts and information, states that certain tropical rain forest orchids produce seeds weighing only 35 millionths of an ounce. WW adds that there exist unusual bacterial cells larger than these orchid seeds. The size of the orchid seed makes it possible to have as many as four million seeds in an orchid seed capsule. The correct botanical term for the orchid fruit is capsule. The sheer number of the seeds, which are heavily wind dispersed, ensures that a number of them successfully germinate and reach maturity, thus perpetuating the species.
However, the orchid seed is structurally different from most seeds we are familiar with, like for example tomato seeds. Whereas, the tomato seed has an endosperm, the food source of the developing embryo, the orchid has not. Whereas, the tomato seed has an embryo with specifically differentiated parts that naturally develop into the physical parts of a tomato plant (e.g. roots, stem, leaves, etc.), the orchid has not.
The orchid seed needs very specific conditions for germination to occur in nature. It must establish a symbiotic relationship with a compatible mychorrhizal soil fungus. Take note of the word COMPATIBLE. The fungus supplies the nourishment it needs to develop. Some orchid species become independent of these fungi as they mature. Others may retain this relationship throughout their existence. This relationship explains why orchids are not as common as they should be owing to the number of seeds dispersed in nature.
I would like to mention an experience related to orchid seeds when Peter
and I visited the
There
are five things common to all orchid flowers: 1.) a bilateral flower symmetry;
2.) the column; 3.) the rostellum; 4.) two or more pollinia; and 5.) the
labellum.
Modern botanical terms describe the orchid flower symmetry as
zygomorphic or irregular. It simply
means that there is unique line of symmetry that when the flower is divided
vertically in half, each half is a mirror image of the other. That is the same
exact symmetry humans have.
The reproductive system of the orchid flower is pretty specialized.
Unlike other flowers where the male and female parts are distinctly apart, the
orchid flower’s male and female parts are on the same structure called the
column. It is right in the middle of
the flower inside the labellum.
The labellum, or the lip, is a highly modified petal, which can be the
showiest or the largest part of the orchid flower. The labellum appears to serve
as a platform for pollinating insects. The lip in conjunction with the other
petals and sepals of the orchid flower form what is called the corolla of the
orchid flower. Orchids are so highly evolved that scent, color, shape or form of
the flower suggests the type of pollinating agent they attract. Foul smelling
orchids imply that flies are the responsible pollinators. The
Orchis flower mimics female bees that
male bees attempt copulation, thereby picking up pollen. This pollen gets
deposited in another flower achieving cross pollination as the bee again is
tricked into mating with another Orchis
flower.
The pollinia (singular pollinium)
are small packages containing the pollen. In most flowers, the pollen is
produced by the stamens and rubs off when something comes in contact with the
flower. Not so with orchids. The pollinia are covered by the anther cap. These
may be connected to a small stem called stipe or caudicle. This stem, in turn,
may be joined to a sticky disk, called the viscidium. The viscidium readily
attaches and detaches to pollinating insects. The pollinia always come in even
numbers.
For some trivia, in 2000, a piece of amber containing an extinct
stingless bee was found in the
The rostellum separates the male part from the female part of the orchid
flower. This structure indicates that orchids favor cross-pollination rather
than self-pollination. The rostellum makes sure that pollinia get attached to
the pollinating agent. Thus, introducing the attached pollen to the next orchid
flower it visits.
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Vanda (V) is one of the
most horticulturally important genera of orchids, especially in the Asian cut
flower industry. The name is derived from the Sanskrit word for the type species
Vanda tessellata. They are mostly
epiphytic, sometimes lithophytic or terrestrial. They are found in
This genus is not big, consisting only of about 50 species (70 according to Jay Pfahl). It has a monopodial growth habit, much like that of the Phalaenopsis, Ascocentrum and Neofinetia. Leaves of some species are flat, typically broad, ovoid leaves (strap-leaves), while others have cylindrical (terete), fleshy leaves that are adapted to dry periods. Some could be miniatures, while others grow to a length of a few meters.
Flowers are typically flat of yellow-brown color with brown
markings. The pure white V. javierae is endemic to the
Vandas have been hybridized interspecifically (between species) and
intergenerically (between genera) for a long time worldwide. Many of these
hybrids have won many awards.
The following, taken from Wikipedia, are some of
lesser-known Vanda intergenerics:
§
Andrewara (Arachnis × Renanthera × Trichoglottis × Vanda)
§
Burkillara (Aerides × Arachnis × Vanda)
§
Charlieara (Rhynchostylis × Vanda × Vandopsis)
§
Devereuxara (Ascocentrum × Phalaenopsis × Vanda)
§
Eastonara (Ascocentrum × Gastrochilus × Vanda)
§
Fujiora (Ascocentrum × Trichoglottis × Vanda)
§
Goffara (Luisia × Rhynchostylis × Vanda)
§
Holttumara (Arachnis × Renanthera × Vanda)
§
Isaoara (Aerides × Ascocentrum × Phalaenopsis × Vanda)
§
Joannara (Renanthera × Rhynchostylis × Vanda)
§
Knudsonara (Ascocentrum × Neofinetia × Renanthera × Rhynchostylis × Vanda)
§
Leeara
(Arachnis × Vanda × Vandopsis)
§
Maccoyara (Aerides × Vanda × Vandopsis)
§
Nobleara (Aerides × Renanthera × Vanda)
§
Onoara (Ascocentrum × Renanthera × Vanda × Vandopsis)
§
Pehara
(Aerides × Arachnis × Vanda × Vandopsis)
§
Raganara (Renanthera × Trichoglottis × Vanda)
§
Sanjumeara (Aerides × Neofinetia × Rhynchostylis × Vanda)
§
Trevorara (Arachnis × Phalaenopsis × Vanda)
§
Vandewegheara (Ascocentrum × Doritis × Phalaenopsis × Vanda)
§
Wilkinsara (Ascocentrum × Vanda × Vandopsis)
Dendrobium
(Den) is the third
largest genus in the orchid family, containing about 1,200 species. The name was
derived from two Greek words dendron
(tree) and bios (life) simply
translated “tree-living”, or essentially epiphyte.
They can be found in the south, east and southeast Asia, including
The genus is characterized by sympodial growth of pseudobulbs (like that of the Cattleyas). The pseudobulbs of some species grow to a few centimeters in length, while others grow to more than three feet long. The mostly reed-like stems grow upright or pendent. In some species the ovate leaves grow alternately through the length of the stem. In others, the leaves are bunched up towards the top of the stem. Flowers are borne at the angle between the stem and the leaf, described as axillary in botanic terms. Inflorescences may carry one to four flowers, in some, to hundreds in the case of Dendrobium kingianum. Some flower on leafless canes, in the case of deciduous species, which carry their leaves for two years. Some species’ flowers could last for months.
They usually follow a cycle of growth during the summer, rest in winter, sends out buds in spring and with a rapid root growth soon after. Dendrobiums lend itself to asexual propagation, either by divison or keikis.
Dendrobiums are known to remove common household air contaminants. In Chinese traditional medicine, some species are grown for medicinal properties. Some species are also national, regional, city or provincial emblems. Several species have appeared in stamps and currency.
The type species is Dendrobium moniliforme.
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Paphiopedilum (Paph.)
is a genus in the orchid family that is widely hybridized and cultivated around
the world. It is more commonly referred to as “Paphs” among orchid enthusiasts.
Its name was derived from two words: Paphos (a city in
Unlike its temperate-growing cousins, the Paphs are found
in countries with relatively warmer climes. They are found in
Paphs only bloom from new shoots. Each shoot blooms only once. There are three general groups of Paphs: the uniflorals (bearing one or, rarely, two blooms on a flower stem), multiflorals (bearing two to as many as six flowers per spike), and the sequential bloomers (those that bloom in succession on a single spike). Some species bloom from a single small shoot. Paph. charlesworthii is an example of a small blooming Paph. Others take at least five years to bloom. Paph. rothschildianum is an example of the type that needs to get big to mature and bloom.
In cultivation, Paphs prefer temperatures we humans enjoy, much like the Phals. However, they need more shade than Phals., due to the fact that these orchids grow on forest floors rather than high up the tree branches. Species Paphs need much humidity to mimic the conditions in the forest. Hybrid Paphs are easier to grow than their parent species.
Paph insigne – type species.
(Photo courtesy of IOSPE)