Investigating Orchid Species
The term orchid actually refers to a family of over 24,000 plants that live in every climate, from tropical to the Arctic Circle. Some orchid species are vines, some are clusters of stems, some tiny, some gigantic. Generally, their blooms are symmetrical and they produce a pod of tiny seeds.
Though there are tens of genra (smaller subdivisions) of the orchid family, the most common orchid species for the home come from just four groups: Phalaenopsis, Cattleya, Dendrobium, and Vanda.
Phalaenopsis
This genre of orchids gets its name from the Greek word for mouth, phalaina, because these blossoms resemble an open mouth. Phalaenopsis grow stalks of leaves and a flower stem out of a bulb-like base.
The stem on most Phalaenopsis orchid species will produce several blooms, starting from the bud closest to the base. The bud starts small and spheroid, then it swells until it pops open as a five-petal flower with an open mouth at the center.
Cattleya
Cattleya orchid species are named for an English orchid fancier of the 19th century who grew the first of this genre known to Europe when he unexpectedly received them in a shipment of other plants.
Cattleyas are similar to Phalaenopsis except when it comes to the flowers. Each stem of a Cattleya will generally produce two to ten flowers, whereas a Phalaenopsis can actually produce many more flowers on one stem. The flower of the Cattleya also has five petals, but its mouth is a long tube, very reminiscent of a daffodil.
Dendrobium
The main difference between the Dendrobium orchid species and the other orchids above is the way the flowers bloom. Dendrobium flowers have five leaves and a mouth that may be shallow or long, but each flower is generally smaller. However, they grow on branched sub stems. Each flowering stem makes a smaller sub stem where the flower forms. The result is flowers evenly distributed around the stem just as hyacinth blooms form around the stem.
Vanda
Vanda orchids take their name from the Sanskrit word for one of the showiest orchid species in this category. To the observer, Vandas look very variable. Some have long, skinny, thin leaves, while others may have short, thick leaves. Some grow many blooms on one stem, others, a single flower. What unites all Vandas, however, is their large, extremely showy blossoms. If you see a corsage with a magnificent orchid, all multicolored and ruffled, chances are its a Vanda.
At the same time, if it is starved of light, it will never flower.
Orchid Shoes
Their flower spikes can be up to about eighteen inches tall, and the flowers always have a beard of hairy stamens.
While mainland growers face fewer transport costs, Asian growers must pay even greater transport costs to send an orchid to the lower 48. From the time that Europeans first began exploring the rest of the world, they started producing exquisite botanical print albums. The answer lies in the beautiful bloom that stems from the leaves of the plant. An instance in view is Vanilla Pod Restaurant & Bar whose name symbolizes the connection between vanilla flavor of many desserts and palatable items and its source viz.
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