Those Beautiful Orchids!

“PAINT bamboo when you are angry; orchids when you are happy.” This Chinese saying reflects a two-​thousand-​year love affair between orchids and the Oriental gardeners and artists who have immortalized them.

Clearly, orchids are flowers that arouse passions. But their special charms were not appreciated in the West until quite recently. In fact, their cultivation began almost by accident.

In the early 1800’s, William Cattley, an importer of tropical plants, noticed some bulbous stems that were used as packing material. Out of curiosity he planted them in his greenhouse. Later that year he was rewarded with a magnificent lavender-​colored bloom. Other European nurserymen were quick to see the commercial possibilities of such striking flowers.

Before long the hunt for these tropical treasures began in earnest. Jungles were scoured for rare orchids, many of which did not survive the long sea journey to Europe. Those that did fetched high prices. A sum of 1,150 guineas (about $100,000 at today’s prices) was paid at an auction in London in 1906 for just one specimen. Prices went down considerably with the advent of artificially grown hybrids. But even today a collector may pay as much as $25,000 for a new hybrid.

What makes orchids so special? Perhaps it is their endless variety of form and color. Or is it their subtle beauty? Or that exotic attraction so hard to define? Whatever the reasons, they are powerful enough to support a growing international trade in orchids.

Gardeners usually prefer to cultivate the more spectacular species from the tropics, but most orchids are humble flowers that pass unnoticed. Some are so small that the flower measures only 0.1 inch [2 mm] across.

Wild orchids are found in deserts, in swamps, and on mountain peaks, from the humid tropical forests to the barren wastes of the Arctic. Many grow on trees, although some even choose a cactus or a mangrove root as host. But orchids are not parasites; they just need the tree for support so that their aerial roots can absorb atmospheric moisture.

Apart from their variety, orchids are also distinguished by their unique methods of propagation. A single orchid seed-​capsule​—a marvel of packaging—​may contain as many as two million tiny seeds, which can be carried far and wide by the wind. Unlike most seeds, they have no built-​in food supply, and to germinate successfully they depend on finding the fungi that supply them with some of the necessary nutrients.

To produce seeds, the flower must first be pollinated, usually by an insect. What lures the insect to the flower? Orchids have no pollen to offer the visitor as food, nor do all species have nectar. The favorite enticements? Beauty, scent, and disguise.

Attracted by Beauty

Horticulturists have labored for over a century to develop hybrids from attractive species that occur in the wild. There are now upwards of 75,000 registered varieties.

Beauty is of practical benefit to the wild orchid. The attractive flower serves to lure the pollinators. The large central petal, or labellum​—usually the most colorful—​serves as an inviting landing platform for a winged guest.

Bright flowers attract bees, wasps, butterflies, and hummingbirds, and the parallel lines on many orchid petals serve as road signs pointing the visitor the way to the food, the nectar, in some species. But beauty is not everything in the insect world.

Irresistible Scent

An insect whose overall vision is not too sharp may pass beauty without noticing it. A heady scent, however, is irresistible. The scent may resemble that of a female insect. It is said that some orchids smell more like female wasps than the wasps themselves!

The scent isn’t always so subtle. Some orchids reek of decaying matter. This smell, though, is also effective. It is one that no self-​respecting fly can ignore. And if scent alone isn’t enough, an effective disguise may be employed to enhance the olfactory deception.

Clever Mimicry

When orchids of the genus Oncidium are swaying gently in the wind, they look so like an insect adversary that the angry bee swoops at the orchid in an attempt to drive his “foe” away. In the process, he unwittingly collects a packet of pollen from the orchid.

On the other hand, bee orchids of the Ophrys genus look like friends rather than enemies. They smell like bees and look like bees. The male bee visits a flower, mistaking it for a consort, and by the time the hapless suitor discovers the deception, the pollinia (small masses of pollen) are stuck to his body. The next orchid that fools him (a bee can be fooled twice) will then be duly pollinated.

Tribute to a Creator

Such astounding variety and intricate mechanisms are living testimony to the wisdom of the Creator. Surely blind chance or mere necessity could not account for these marvels.

Jesus Christ spoke of another lesson to be learned from such floral beauty: “Think of the flowers growing in the fields,” he said. “I assure you that not even Solomon in all his royal robes was clothed like one of these. Now if that is how God clothes the wild flowers . . . , will he not much more look after you?”​—Matthew 6:28-30, New Jerusalem Bible.

We can look forward to the time when man, in turn, will care for our planet’s priceless orchids. Thousands of tropical species are still awaiting discovery, and who knows what secrets and surprises they may hold! But whatever their color or form, no doubt they will further enhance our appreciation of creation’s beauty and variety.​—Compare Isaiah 35:1, 2.

[Pictures on page 16-18]

 1. Cattleya (hybrid)

 2. Cattleya (hybrid)

 3. Vanda (hybrid)

 4. Phalaenopsis (hybrid)

 5. Cattleya (hybrid)

 6. Phalaenopsis (hybrid)

 7. Vanda (hybrid)

 8. Phalaenopsis

 9. Phalaenopsis (hybrid)

10. Cattleya auriantiaca

[Credit Line]

Photos 1, 2, 4-6, 8-10: Courtesy of Jardinería Juan Bourguignon, Madrid, Spain