February is finally here... Punxsutawney Phil, the famous groundhog weather watcher, was pulled from his warm burrow this morning and saw his shadow, predicting six more weeks of winter. Despite such a forecast, the weather here in Denver is warm and unwintery... But it's not summery either. And we're tired of the cold and snow and would love to escape somewhere. But where? Surprisingly I know the place :) Unsurprisingly it's a Botanic Garden ;) Right, February is the time when orchids start blooming in the Botanic Garden and bring the most summery feeling you can hope for...
And... I have no idea how many different orchid plants there are,
but there are quite a few... Different shapes and colors... small and
big... bright and pale... they all look so exotic and hot...
Unfortunately, there weren't as many varieties as I expected... but
still... It was really nice to spend some time among these beauties and
feel that summer was all around me :)
Why do we love orchids so much? Tom Mirenda, Smithsonian Gardens
orchid collection specialist, believes it is partly because orchids seem
to look back at us with symmetrical faces.
Did you know that orchids are the largest family of flowering
plants? They have also been around the longest as they are one of the
oldest flowers in existence. Since varieties of orchids are found all
over the world, it’s accepted that orchids were in existence prior to
the separation of the continents. There are more than 25,000 documented
orchid species throughout the world. This means the number of orchids on
the planet is four times the number of birds and four times the number
of mammals! That’s A LOT of orchids!!
Although generally thought of as a tropical plant, orchids grow on
every continent. From the Arctic Circle to the southernmost jungle
(except Antarctica). They’re valued and thought of as beautiful across
continents and cultures with varying meanings and customs surrounding
their existence.
Orchids are both very ancient and very modern. They are among the
oldest known flowering plants, with the oldest dating back 112 million
years ago to the Early Cretaceous, when dinosaurs ruled the earth. By 64
million years ago, they had evolved pollinia and by 35 million years
ago, many had become epiphytes. However, orchids continue to evolve to
this day and about 20 new species are described every year.
The vanilla orchid (and its vanilla bean) is the only commercially grown orchid crop. Orchids yummy enough to eat and cook with! Unfortunately there wasn't any vanilla orchid in the garden, but... does it matter? :)
The body of the largest orchid can reach 35 meters in length. The
world’s smallest orchid is, officially, Platystele jungermannioides of
the cloud forests of Mexico, Guatemala, Costa Rica and Panama. The plant
itself is about the size of a dime, including the leaves, roots and
flowers. An even smaller orchid was recently discovered in Ecuador, but
it has yet to be officially described.
Also orchids have the tiniest seeds in the world. This makes them a
challenge to grow and cultivate. They take forever to sprout and
actually turn into a plant! Growing orchids from seeds is only for the
patient and very green-thumbed.
The world’s largest orchid, is the giant orchid or tiger orchid,
Grammatophyllum speciosum, which can measure up to 7.62 m (25 ft) in
height and weigh up to 2 tons, bearing thousands of abundantly spotted
flowers at once. In spite of its size, it mostly grows as an epiphyte,
high up in the branches of forest trees on the islands of Southeast
Asia.
It takes patience to grow an orchid. The plant’s first flowers
won’t appear until at least 5 to 7 years after germination. The
houseplants you find in stores are often a decade old. From duck to
swan!
Some orchid flowers bloom for mere hours, while others last up to
half a year. Orchid flowers always grow upside down when mature.
The name orchid comes from plants in the genus Orchis, such as Orchis mascula, and derives from the Ancient Greek word orchis meaning “testicle”; because of the shape of the paired underground tubers of this terrestrial European species. The term “orchid”, which is just a shortened form of the family Orchidaceae, was not introduced until 1845.
Orchid flowers are quite unusual. While they have the usual 6
tepals (3 petals and 3 sepals) common to most other monocots, one of the
petals is highly modified. Called the labellum (or lip), it is
typically quite different from the other tepals both in shape and color.
It usually functions to attract insect pollinators and direct them to
the flower’s column where its organs are concentrated.
Orchids pull pranks on their friends - they are unmatched in their
ability to mimic other things in their environment, with the sole goal
of coaxing helpers into spreading their pollen. Inside their bag of
tricks: sporting flowers that appear to be a female pollinating insect
to lure male insects to “mate” with the flower; or promising
non-existent nectar to a foraging bee, which then flies off in
disappointment only to be tricked again a few yards away; and producing a
female pheromone that entices an unsuspecting insect to visit,
resulting in pollination of the orchid. Many orchid species require a
visit from a specific pollinator, and have evolved highly specific
mimicry tactics to accomplish this feat.
Orchids can grow on trees (epiphytic), on rocks (lithophytic) or
even, uniquely among plants, entirely underground. Three of the four
critically endangered Australian underground orchids (Rhizanthella)
complete their entire lifecycle underground, including flowering. How
they are pollinated remains mysterious, apart from in the case of the
western underground orchid Rhizanthella gardneri, which is the only plant known to be pollinated by termites.
Around 70% of orchids are epiphytic, growing on the trunks and
branches of trees. Having no contact with the ground, they must absorb
all the moisture they need from the air. The roots, which reach into the
air, have adapted a spongy coating called velamen that allows them to
absorb atmospheric moisture and rain. These roots are usually green and
can photosynthesize. Some orchids have capitalized on this ability and
have been able to do away with leaves altogether, carrying out all of
their photosynthesis through the roots. Unable to take up nutrients from
the soil, epiphytic orchids must use other methods to obtain the
nutrients they need to grow. Some epiphytic orchids have specialized
roots that grow upwards to form a basket-like structure that collects
leaf litter, which breaks down to release nutrients that can be absorbed
by the plant.
Several of the rarest wildflowers in the UK are orchids, such as the ghost orchid (which lives underground except to flower, may only flower once in 10 years, and hasn’t been seen since 2009), the fen orchid, and the lady’s slipper orchid.
The lady’s slipper orchid (Cypripedium calceolus) was once widespread across northern England, but was wiped out by a combination of habitat loss and a Victorian craze for orchid-hunting. By 1917 it was thought to be extinct, but in 1930, a single colony was rediscovered in a remote corner of the Yorkshire Dales. A small group of guardians managed to keep the orchid secret from collectors for almost 40 years before a dedicated committee was set up in 1971 to protect the orchid’s interests. To this day, the site’s location remains a closely guarded secret, and the colony is under the surveillance of cameras throughout the year and monitored by wardens during the spring and summer months.
Orchids, unlike most flowers, do not cause allergies. The aroma of
orchids is very diverse: from the most delicate aromas with hints of
honey and vanilla to the smell of rotten meat.
Alaska, oddly enough, has more types of orchids than any other American state.
It was a lovely Saturday and I really enjoyed wandering around
looking for such exotic beauties. Unfortunately it wasn't an Orchid Show
day when dozens of enthusiasts come there and bring their favorite
orchids to show up... I was at this event a few years ago and remember how crazy it was... Actually... click here to see some of photos from this day - The exotic beauty of the orchids.
Disclaimer - not all flowers here are orchids :) Can you tell which ones are not? ;)
The pictures were taken on February 01, 2025.
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ReplyDeleteBeautiful
And a fascinating commentary!
ReplyDelete