Travels through the World of Orchids
Of all of earth’s flowers, orchids are particularly fascinating. Not only are they aesthetically pleasing, but their life stories often have a bit of mystery and wonder clinging to them. Although widely distributed, many can only be found in isolated, virtually inaccessible places–volcanic mountainsides, misty jungles, deep swamps, etc.
Beginning in earnest in the nineteenth century, orchid fanciers have devoted years and even careers to discovering as well as growing new varieties of these flowering wonders. Although most orchids are acquired nowadays from growers that specialize in breeding the plants, many of them being developed through hybridization, it is advantageous to know something of their origins in nature.
Orchids are herbacious plants of which tens of thousands of species are known, with more still being discovered. They exhibit a startling range of color and form, which has contributed greatly to public interest. Master gardeners often delight in growing a wide range of orchids to demonstrate their mastery of the arts of cultivation.
Orchids grow everywhere around the world, excepting the desert regions and polar zones. Some 85% of all orchid species originate in the tropics or subtropics, but this still leaves a large number that come from colder regions. In some parts of the Himalayas orchids constitute the most abundantly represented family of plants in terms of sheer number of species.
By far the greatest number of orchids occur in three large tropical belts:
- Tropical Africa (including islands to the east in the Indian Ocean). These mostly belong to the genera (families) Angnecum, Bulbophyllum and Disa. Orchids from here have not been as widely cultivated as ones originating from the other tropical zones, but Africa nevertheless boats many species of interest.
- Tropical Asia. This region, which includes Indonesia and other islands as well as the mainland countries of Southeast Asia, is considered especially rich in orchid genera. Typical of the region are the large genera Dendrobium, Eria and Bulbophyllum and many smaller ones as well.
- Tropical America. This region includes most of South America, along with Mexico and Central America. Isolated from the rest of the world for millennia, this region contains an unusually high number of indigenous orchid genera, many of which contain hundreds of individual species. Among the large indigenous genera are Epidendrum, Pleurothallis and Oncidium; many smaller genera found here also contribute more than their share to orchids that have found favor among cultivators the world over.
In the temperate zones of the southern hemisphere may also be found many orchds, though not in so abundant number as in the tropics. In southern Africa the Disa and Calanthe genera furnish a few species judged valuable to cultivation. Australia contains many genera in common with the tropical Asia. Southern South America boasts a number of temperate orchids, but by the estimation of orchid devotees, they are greatly overshadowed by those
from the much larger tropical part of thecontinent.
In the northern hemisphere’s temperate zones, we can mention the United States and particularly the northeastern and New Englad regions, as well as Canada. There you will find some 20 native genera, whose members grow particularly in swamps and other moist grounds. The Cypripediuins, or Lady Slippers, are the most well known of these.
Europe also has many native orchids, but undoubtedly the most famous and showy is the Bee Orchid (Ophrys apifera). The Bee Orchid grows on dry or semi-dry turf, often in open areas within woodlands. Bee Orchids are common near the Mediterranean coast of Europe, and grows (albeit less abundantly) as far north as Germany and the UK.
Orchids vary greatly in the ease with which they may be cultivated, although for the most part they are not the difficult plants that folk wisdom would have it. The most complete guide to expert orchid growing, it is widely acknowedged, is Orchid Care Expert by Nigel Howard, which can be downloaded from the web. Howard’s clearly written guide will provide a thorough immersion in the subject. Also, be sure to visit the Orchid Secrets web site, which has an ever-growing database of postings on all aspects of orchid cultivation.
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