Beauty and... |
Beauty and... |
Orchids reproduce by cross-pollination with birds, insects, and other animals carrying pollen from the stamen of one orchid to the pistil of another. Cross pollination between different plants, rather than self-pollination, has helped orchids evolve and adapt to their environments.
Orchids
have evolved some of the most complicated pollination systems of all
plants. One of the most famous orchids in the scientific world is
the Angraecum sesquipedale
of Madagascar. It has long spurs which hold its nectar and when it
was described to Darwin he said that there would be an unknown species
of insect with a long tongue that would be its pollinator. Though
he was ridiculed he turned out to be right as, after his death, its
only pollinator was discovered. This is a species of hawk moth with
an extremely long tongue later named the Xanthopan Morgani Praedicta
moth in honour of his prediction.
Many
orchids look like or smell like bees which is what attracts
bees to them. Ophrys insectifera emits a chemical mixture
that attracts male hymenopteras of the genus Argogorytes. The smell
of this orchid smells like females and the male insect tries to
have sex with the plant and then particles of pollen attach themselves
to the insect to be deposited at its next hot spot. Some parts of
orchid plants resemble female insects encouraging male insects to
try to mate with them thereby spreading pollen. The mirror
orchids of the western Mediterranean also emit a pheromone very
similar to that of female bees which sends the male bees into an
excited frenzy.
Another orchid, the dead horse arum, emits a smell similar to that of rotting flesh in order to attract flies to assist in its pollination.
Another orchid species, the oncidiums of South America, attract bees by a process botanists call pseudoantagonism. That is, parts of the plant resemble an enemy insect and the bee attacks it to try and drive it away. During the assault pollen adheres to the attacking bee!
Orchids are not merely just attractive to look at. The cooking flavouring vanilla comes from several species of vanilla orchid which grows throughout the tropics. Many orchids are used in folk or herbal remedies for ailments such as fish poisoning to boils.
All orchids have two names. The first name is called the genus name and refers to the large subfamily within the Orchidaceae which a particular species belongs to. The second name refers to the particular species.
Growing
orchids used to be just for the very rich. Wealthy collectors sent
their orchid hunters to all corners of the globe in the search for
rare or interesting species. Nowadays, with modern techniques, the
owning and cultivation of orchids is now within the reach of most
with prices ranging from a few dollars/pounds to thousands depending
upon the rarity of the specimen. Orchids are now cloned by orchid
breeders who take a few cells from root tips and grow them in specially
prepared
laboratory conditions. This practice has been somewhat helpful in
conserving orchids in the wild. The cultivation of and international
trade in orchids is incredible with estimates up to $10,000,000,000.
The easiest to grow at home are the phalaenopsis (moth orchid) or
the paphiopedilum (lady's slipper). Orchids are very long-lived
and many plants found and transported by orchid hunters in the nineteenth
century are still alive today.
Almost like no other plant orchids have captured the imagination of people by their beauty and diversity. Orchid lovers can be obsessed with or addicted to their interest almost to the exclusion of everything else.
Orchids are very sexy plants. They often look sexy. The name comes from orchis which is the Greek word for testicle. They smell sexy. The ways in which they are pollinated are often sexy. Imagine-imitating a female bee in order to induce a male bee to copulate with a plant!
Leaving strict monetary considerations aside, from a psychological point of view one of the key elements in 'orchid mania' is probably acquiring the unique ownership, possession and control of something which epitomizes the conflict in our feelings between both the beauty and dangers of Mother Nature. The possession of a rare or beautiful plant leads to feelings of high status and exclusiveness. "I have it, you don't." Feelings of exclusion, jealousy, and envy are pushed into others who unconsciously represent the sibling rivals of infancy and childhood. If something is controlled there is also less anxiety about its potential hidden dangers. As well, controlling the breeding of orchids probably unconsciously means controlling the sexual life of the parents, particularly the mother.
|
|
