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Welcome to the wonderful orchid world.
Beauty and use seem to go hand-in-hand in the orchid family.
The orchid family varies widely in habitat, ranging throughout the tropics, over the temperate zones of both hemispheres, and even reaching into the fringes of the Arctic.
There is a similarly wide variation in type, with several systems of classification.
The first division is into monopodial and sympodial groups, referring to the habit of growth. The monopodial, including the Vanda and Aerides, grow continuously from a central crown, which eventually appears atop a long stem that has frequently lost its lower leaves.
Phalaenopsis, although monopodial, is stemless, but yearly grows a pair of leaves from the characteristic crown.
The leaves of monopodial orchids are heavy, leathery, fleshy, and capable of storing some quantity of moisture, but the plants must never be allowed to dry out completely.
The leaves of Vanda teres, like pine needles, do not resemble leaves, but are three to four inches long, very slender, round and succulent, and taper to a point.
The sympodial group, of which Cattleya, Laelia, and Coelogyne are notable examples, has a creeping rootstock, with each new growth springing from the base and alongside the last year's growth.
The new growth appears as a swelling or 'dormant' eye that at the proper time will 'break' or begin to grow. In some genera, such as Laelia and Coelogyne, the growths will break in several directions, but in Cattleya usually in only one.
The pseudobulb, a characteristic of sympodial orchids, is a reservoir for food and moisture against times of drought and dormancy. It differs widely according to the different genera.
The pseudobulb of Cattleya is longish, smooth, and rounded; while that of Laelia may be slightly flattened, even in some cases assuming a many-sided angular form. Certain species have pseudobulbs that resemble small pineapples.
The pseudobulbs of Odonto-glossum and Miltonia are much flattened and compressed; those of Coelogyne are very round, short, and prolific; and those of Cymbidium very large, rounded, and stocky.
Dendrobium in many species lacks pseudobulbs, but even the long cane-like flower stems, along which the leaves grow in pairs, are capable of storing food and moisture.
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You will find information of how to grow orchids, how to care for orchids, orchid types, housing for orchids, orchid potting, growing orchids from seed, orchid hybrids and so much more. Enjoy the wonderful world of orchids.
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