Orchid Care Blog

With this attached to his body he...

Here are more orchid-growing tips (continued from my last post)...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ With this attached to his body he flies to the next flower where, as he sups, the arrow of pollen fits neatly into the cavity.

He probably picks up another load of precious pollen as he leaves, and hunger, or perhaps the memory of his recent feast, leads him again to the proper flower, where he once more deposits his burden.

Most flowers offer nectar but some offer solid food to the insect performing the pollination service.

Insects have been observed feeding on the crest, a crisp ridge on the labellum.

Some pervade the air with perfume, while others bring visitors by their handsome size and showy color.

Small inconspicuous flowers cluster together on the stems to win attention.

Some wear shining white that gleams in the moonlight and draws night-flying moths.

Once arrived at the flower, the insect's path is not left to chance but is carefully charted.

Lines on the lip lead inward, crests are raised to keep his steps from straying, dark spots on the bright throats, or the large white spots common to some species and called 'eyes,' act as beacons. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I'll post more orchid care tips soon!

- Sara

The anthers produce tiny powdery grains of...

Here are more orchid-growing tips (continued from my last post)...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The anthers produce tiny powdery grains of fertile pollen, usually held together by a mysterious viscid fluid that hardens on exposure to air and is not affected by wind or rain.

The stigmatic cavity with its receptive ovum (egg) waits for the 'marrying' insect to deposit pollen from another flower.

The labellum serves in three capacities: it provides storage space for the pollen, an antechamber to the ovary, and a banquet room for the insect.

On entering any orchid flower the insect must first brush the empty stigmatic cavity in his search for the nectar or other food.

Drunk with the repast, he blunders out, the narrow passage compelling him on the way to brush past the pollen masses, which become dislodged and, because of the sticky fluid, adhere to him.

These masses hold firmly until he enters another flower of the same species.

The feeding position is ideal for depositing the pollen.

In some species the insect is not allowed to enter the storage chamber but, by lighting on the labellum, he releases a tiny gun that projects the pollen masses toward him in the shape of a blunt arrow. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I'll post more orchid care tips soon!

- Sara

Darwin immediately predicted that some day a...

Here are more orchid-growing tips (continued from my last post)...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Darwin immediately predicted that some day a moth with a proboscis at least twelve inches long would be discovered to be responsible for cross-pollination of this peculiar orchid.

In time such a moth was found and was duly named Xanthopan morgani praedicta.

In this particular alliance it is probable that the moth would starve without the orchid and that the orchid would become extinct without the moth.

Such high specialization has insured the purity of species that has marked the progress of the orchid family.

This specialization is reflected in the extremely varied forms of the reproductive organs.

These organs lie within the lip, more scientifically known as the labellum, along a fleshy enlargement called the column.

The anther-bearing stamens are usually sealed together into the column, and a projection of this elongated fleshy organ is the rostellum, whose purpose seems to be to separate the pollen and the stigmatic cavity, thus minimizing the danger of self-pollination. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I'll post more orchid care tips soon!

- Sara

The highest means of perpetuation in plants,...

Here are more orchid-growing tips (continued from my last post)...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The highest means of perpetuation in plants, cross-pollination is necessary in all but a very few species of orchids.

In the few cases of self-pollination the seeds are frequently infertile.

The insects performing the service of cross-pollination vary with the species and are as diverse as the ingenious contrivances by which the orchids utilize them.

It is in every case a reciprocal arrangement, the plant receiving the benefits of fertilization, the insect the largess of food and drink.

Each species usually has its particular insect, as is shown by the special means each flower uses to attract its insect.

Darwin first noted a striking example of this specialization.

On a trip to South America he had an opportunity to see a plant of Angraecum sesquipedale.

This starry-white flower, a rare orchid of Madagascar, has a weirdly elongated lip containing a nectary, about eleven inches long, that holds one-and-a-half ounces of the sweet fluid produced by the sugar-secreting glands. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I'll post more orchid care tips soon!

- Sara

Dr. E. Soysa, writing in Orchid Culture...

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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Dr. E. Soysa, writing in Orchid Culture in Ceylon, advances the delightful and plausible, if unproved, theory that orchids antedated the fossil era, but in their love of light ascended trees to escape the advancing jungle.

There they lived, died, dried up, and floated away, leaving no trace.

Whatever the genesis of the orchid family, it cannot be doubted that the orchid family is very old, judging both by its great variety and its highly complex structural development, attainable only through the passage of time.

The orchid is among the largest and most highly developed of the plant families, with some fifteen to twenty thousand species.

A provident nature has lavished every means to insure the perpetuation of this favorite child.

She has provided the flower with all the charm and allure of a fairy princess to win insect vassals to perform the service of cross-pollination.

Nature has decreed that the orchid should be dependent on some outside insect agent, and the resultant relation is a beautiful example of cooperation between the plant and animal kingdoms. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I'll post more orchid care tips soon!

- Sara

Many fine orchid books, first printed in...

Here are more orchid-growing tips (continued from my last post)...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Many fine orchid books, first printed in expensive limited editions, have been long out of print, and others, published abroad, have not been translated.

In the following pages we shall contribute our small share to building the foundation of a more general interest in and understanding of orchid culture.

Beginning with a glimpse into the life secrets of the orchid and continuing through to the rather specialized knowledge required for growing orchids from seed, the aim of the book is to make a fascinating and worth-while hobby available to thousands.

Once the way has been opened, the amateur will find many adventurous and rewarding by-paths to explore on his own.

THE beginnings of the orchid family are shrouded in mystery.

Since most orchids are epiphytic-that is, having aerial roots through which they receive sustenance from the minerals in the moisture-laden air of the tropics-they have left no traces such as the fossilized remains of ground-growing plants. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I'll post more orchid care tips soon!

- Sara

However, when the beginner, eager but ignorant,...

Here are more orchid-growing tips (continued from my last post)...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ However, when the beginner, eager but ignorant, seeks published information on the growing of orchids, he may be discouraged by the dearth of information.

Where growers of garden-variety flowers find an almost bewildering wealth of literature, the would-be orchid grower bumps up against what seems to be a wall of secrecy.

This wall once was impregnable-each orchid hunter, grower, and hybridizer jealously guarded finds from curious and covetous eyes-but today there is an organized effort to popularize the growing of orchids by dispersing information through amateur groups and bulletins.

If the amateur will play fair with the commercial grower, he can obtain much valuable information even from him.

The amateur need only remember the important fact that to the professional the sale of orchids is a means of making a living, while to the amateur it is a means of securing pleasure and perhaps pin-money.

There is now no deliberate conspiracy to conceal information about orchid growing, but there is still too little material available for the amateur. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I'll post more orchid care tips soon!

- Sara

The grower of orchids is favored above...

Here are more orchid-growing tips (continued from my last post)...

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THE grower of orchids is favored above other men.

He belongs to a starry-eyed fraternity, to whom each small chore, accomplished in its turn for the better culture of his orchids, is a source of never-ending and absorbing delight.

The beauty of the orchid's line and color is known to all who bask in the offerings of the florist's window, but the breathless suspense and expectation that attend the unfolding of the mysterious growth of the orchid plant are known to the grower alone.

The appearance of each new growth and root is cause for rejoicing; the slimy mark of a snail or the cottony warning of the presence of scale is cause for distress.

The habits and idiosyncrasies of every species and plant are subject to absorbed study.

Different methods of growing and the relative merits of hybrids and species are endlessly discussed among fellow growers.

The orchid grower checks his mundane worries at the door of the greenhouse and enters a world that offers surcease even to the heart heavily burdened with sorrow and loss.

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I'll post more orchid care tips soon!

- Sara