ORCHID SPECIES
Orchidaceae is a diverse and widespread family of flowering plants with blooms that are often colourful and often fragrant, commonly known as the orchid family. Along with the Asteraceae, they are one of the two largest families of flowering plants, with between 21,950 and 26,049 currently accepted species, found in 880 genera. The determination of which family is larger is still under debate, because verified data on the members of such enormous families are continually in flux. Regardless, the number of orchid species nearly equals the number of bony fishes and more than twice the number of bird species, and about four times the number of mammal species. The family also encompasses about 6–11% of all seed plants. The largest genera are Bulbophyllum (2,000 species), Epidendrum (1,500 species), Dendrobium (1,400 species) and Pleurothallis (1,000 species).
The family also includes Vanilla (the genus of the vanilla plant), Orchis (type genus), and many commonly cultivated plants such as Phalaenopsis and Cattleya. Moreover, since the introduction of tropical species into cultivation in the 19th century,horticulturists have produced more than 100,000 hybrids and cultivars. source: wikipedia
Orchids can grow in a variety of habitats such as marshes and wetlands, on trees, in the ground, on cliffs, riverbanks and areas where decaying organic matter and the fungi that grow there provide food for orchids. Orchids can be divided into three main groups based on their habitat: terrestrials, epiphytes, and a subset of epiphytes called lithophytes. Orchids can also interchange their habitat depending on the circumstances in which they find themselves. For example, an epiphytic seed can land and grow in a well drained but still moist area, like a rock next to a stream, if there is enough moisture to sustain its growth.
Terrestrial orchids have the ability to adapt to growing conditions that are quite varied: from boggy ravines to damp forest floors, from sandy dunes to semi-arid desert soil. The roots of terrestrial orchids sometimes produce tubers that lie just below the soil surface or even deep underground depending on the circumstances. Sometimes roots are sent directly into substrate such as soil. Temperate terrestrial orchids are often deciduous in that their flowers and leaves fade in winter and remain underground until the new growth season begins. New growth will then appear as a single leafy stem topped by flowers.
Lithophytic orchids are mainly found in the tropical regions of the world. They grow on exposed rocks. They have strong roots that burrow into small crevices and absorb moisture and nutrients found amongst the moss and organic debris that collect in them. Some orchids such as the Hoffmannseggellas (Rupicolous Cattleyas of Brazil) grow amongst pebbles. The leaves of lithophytic orchids are often quite fleshy; they and the pseudobulbs (a part of the
plant specifically modified for the storage of energy and derived from the part of the stem between two leaf nodes) carry the plant through any prolonged dry spells that might occur.
Epiphytic orchids grow on host trees. They are usually supported by the trunk or the thick lower branches of the host, though sometimes they perch on small twigs in the very top of the tree canopy. All epiphytes cling to their hosts with very strongly developed root systems. These roots take advantage of the moisture and organic debris that are caught in the crevices and bark of the host for nourishment purposes. All additional moisture and nutrients that are required are absorbed from the humid tropical air, rain, and mosses, ferns and fungal symbionts.
All orchid species
