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Of the incredible variety of flowering plants on our earth, orchids easily wield the most fascination. Not only are they beautiful to look at, but they often bring a bit of wonder and mystery with them. Although distributed widely, many can only be found in isolated or exotic locations–misty rain forests, the sides of volcanoes, mucky swamps, as examples.
Beginning quite seriously in the 19th century, orchid fanciers have devoted years and even careers to ferreting out as well as breeding new types of these flowering plants. Although most orchids are acquired nowadays from nurseries that specialize in breeding the plants, many of them being produced through hybridization, it is useful to learn something of their natural history.
Orchids are herbacious plants encompassing tens of thousands of known species, with still more 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 in the earth except for the desert and polar regions. 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 Himalayan region, orchids make up the most abundant family of plants.
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 this region are not so widely cultivated as ones coming from other tropical lands, but Africa nonetheless has many interesting species.
- 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 embraces Mexico, Central America and the tropical parts of South 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. Southernmost South America boasts many temperate-zone orchids, but they are unfortunately overshadowed by those
from the much larger tropical part of thecontinent.
in the norhern hemisphere’s temperate areas, we should take note of the United States, particularly the New England/norhteastern region, as well as Canada. There you will find some 20 native genera, whose members grow particularly in swamps and other moist grounds. The most famous of these are the Cypripediuins or Lady Slippers.
Europe also has many native orchids, but undoubtedly the most famous and showy is the Bee Orchid (Ophrys apifera). The Bee Orchid may be found thriving on dry or semi-dry turf in open areas near or 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 differ greatly from one another as far as ease of cultivating, but most of them are not the difficult plants that common wisdom would have it. The most complete guide to expert orchid growing, it is widely acknowedged, is Orchid Care Expert by Nigel Howard, which is available to be downloaded online. Howard’s wonderful guide will furnish a complete immersion in the subject. Also, visit the Orchid Secrets web site, which has a growing database of articles on many topics of orchid cultivation.
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