Because they are so many types, it gets more and more challenging to care for your orchids. They are not harder to grown than many other flowering plants. But still...
Before going into caring about these precious plants, here are some facts about orchids.
- There are more than 100,000 kinds of purebreds and hybrid Orchids. There are about 800 new species added each year. Orchids, scientifically known as Orchidaceae, are the biggest family of flowering plants.
- Some orchids bloom once a year; others bloom several times a year; some bloom continuously
- Orchids do prefer a middle range of temperatures, neither too hot nor too cold. Some warm-growing species can take easily hot weather; some cool-growers are not harmed by very cold temperatures, but it depends on the plant.
- The world's largest orchid can grow up to 20 meters long. Yep, that's right. It's quite big, don't you think?
- The first man-made orchid hybrid was created in 1856. Over the years hybridizers have learned to cross as many as five genera to create a single plant - the equivalent of mixing a hummingbird with a blue jay, eagle, mallard and whooping crane. The orchid scientist John Lindley, on viewing the first hybrid, exclaimed: "You will drive the botanists mad!" And they have.
- Sadly, Indiana has 42 native orchid species, several of which are endangered.
- The swollen roots of native European orchids were used in ancient and medieval times as aphrodisiacs.
You can find these and more tips at my blog.
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