Circling the Earth with the Orchids

Of all the flowers on earth, orchids are particularly fascinating. 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 jungles, the sides of volcanoes, mucky swamps, for examples.

Beginning most earnestly in the 19th century, orchid enthusiasts have devoted years and lifetimes to ferreting out as well as cultivating new varieties of these flowering plants. Although most orchids are obtained nowadays from growers that specialize in cultivating these plants, many of them being produced through hybridization, it is good to learn a little of their natural origins.

Orchids are herbacious plants encompassing tens of thousands of known species, with still more being discovered.They show an astouding range of color and shape, which has added greatly to public fascination with them. Gardeners often take pleasure in maintaining a wide variety of orchids to show off their mastery of the art of cultivation.

Orchids have spread throughout the world, excep for the polar and desert zones. 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 originating in 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. The region is made up of Mexico, the Central American nations, and the tropical part of South America. Isolated from other parts of the world for eons, this region has an especially large number of endemic genera of orchids, many of which include hundreds of 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.

The temperate zones of the southern hemisphere also furnish many orchids, though not nearly so abundantly as do 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. Southern South America boasts a number of temperate orchids, but by the estimation of orchid devotees, they are greatly overshadowed by those
from the vaster tropical-zone part of the continent.

In the northern hemisphere's temperate zones, we should mention the United States and particularly the northeastern and New Englad regions, 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 vary greatly in how easily they can be grown, although for the most part they are not the difficult plants that folk wisdom would have it. The most up-to-date guide to expert orchid care, without a doubt, is Orchid Care Expert by Nigel Howard, which can be downloaded online. Howard's delightful guide will furnish a full immersion in the subject. Also, check out the Orchid Secrets web site, which has an ever-growing library of postings on all topics of orchid cultivation.