November 26, 2007
· Filed under Orchids · Tagged home garden, orchid care, orchid flowers, Orchid home garden, orchid pictures, orchid plants, Orchids
Extraordinary of freak plant – you decide.
Some orchids resemble insects. The Ophrys sphegodes is a bumblebee impersonator.
The Ophrys sphegodes is an amazing orchid. To ensure its survival in nature it presents itself as a very convincing imitation of a specific type of female bee all in an effort to get pollinated. The male bee of this specific species that is being targeted and thus impersonated by the orchid, hatch a few weeks prior to the female bees of the species. What the Ophrys sphegodes orchid then does is to practice impeccable timing. It times its bloom period so that the flower coincides precisely with this period. Thus when the male bees are actively looking for females to mate with, the Ophrys sphegodes ‘offers’ a possible target for these male bees.
Poor Bees – No, they do not get harmed at all, just duped. So much for a mutualistic affair. It is rather one-sided.
November 14, 2007
· Filed under Orchids · Tagged epiphytes, Orchids, saprohytes
In nature many orchid species are epiphytes. This means that they anchor themselves to trees to expose themselves to air movement, light and moisture. What is more precise is to say that they anchor themselves by means of their roots and actually just hold on to the outside of the tree for support. They do not even enter the bark in their search for nutrients. Parasites would be invasive, orchids does not exhibit such habits. Due to its epiphytic nature, orchids can be grown and cultivated in pots or baskets with bark chips, or can be mounted on a piece of bark or any suitable substrate. The orchids require that their roots be exposed to the air for respiration and to absorb water and whatever possible nutrients may wash down the side of the tree or mount when it rains.
Furthermore, apart from the epiphytic orchids there are also terrestrial and semi-terrestrial (or epi-terrestrial) orchids which grow in the ground.
And let us not forget about the saprophytic orchids. These orchids do not have their own chlorophyll and thus cannot obtain energy from the sunlight. Instead they are dependent on a root system covered with small fungi, which make certain nutrients available to them by breaking down dead plant remains. The fungi also derive benefit from this association. They in turn get sugar from the roots of the orchid. Saprophytic orchids bears some of the most beautiful flowers, but are the most difficult to cultivate. Parasites – Orchids, No way.
