WOCSB
Orchid Facts
Orchid Diversity Orchid flowers can be as small as the head of a pin
(Platystele sp.
Central America) or greater that 10" (Grammatophyllum sp., New Guinea).
The vine Vanilla planifolia of tropical America is the source of vanilla
extract. Fragrances vary from citrus-like (Polystachys pubescens ), to fetid
(Satyrium pumilum, a fly-pollinated species from South Africa). And perhaps
the most unusual is the Australian species Rhizanthella gardneri, which
lives and flowers completely below the earth's surface!
The diversity of this group of plants is truly amazing. In addition,
over 60,000 hybrid orchid exist, created from over 150 species, and more
are being created every day!
Orchids exhibit an incredible range of variability in shape, color,
and size and fragrance. Even orchid leaves, notably less showy than the
flowers, vary; thick and leathery or thin and flexible, folded at the midvein,
or pleated, round in cross-section, or flattened laterally.