Information About Orchids – Interesting Facts

Information about orchids is readily available to any aspiring orchid grower. With the dearth of garden shops, hobby clubs as well as the limitless potential for gathering date on the internet, it is easier to acquire the knowledge and materials you need to embark on your hobby.

It isn’t surprising that among plant hobbyists, orchid growing is listed among the favorites. With its regal bearing and its colorful history, orchid blooming is interesting and rewarding. The name orchid comes from the Greek term ‘orkhis’. If you look closely at an orchid flower, you’ll see that it resembles the male body part it gets its name from e.g. testicles. It is because of this quaint resemblance that this flower is believed to be an aphrodisiac in some cultures. Whether this is true or not only adds to the mystery and intriguing quality of this plant.

A history of scavenging through rainforests and tropical jungles just to find that elusive rare orchid which can make its finder rich without thought to ecological considerations, is part of the orchid’s tale.

Even with the advent of orchid blooming initiated by William Cattley of the cattleya variety fame, there are still unscrupulous individuals who scour the globe to find that one rare variant that can make them wealthy. With a still undetermined number of varieties out there, they can very well succeed in finding it.

Hopefully, the ecology will remain safe with their discovery. Fortunately for orchid lovers, science has enabled the curious and enterprising to enjoy the delightful beauty of this bloom without incurring an imbalance in the ecosystem. New information about orchids and the latest technologies in orchid breeding and growing have enabled both the home hobbyist and the flower farm owners to bloom or produce more flowers.

In fact commercial production of orchids has allowed many a bride to enjoy having these delicate beauties incorporated into their wedding bouquets and floral arrangements. While there are still rare and expensive varieties being sold to particular clients, the ordinary bride can take joy in the fact that this flower is readily available commercially and at an affordable price.

Price considerations aside, orchid propagation is also a blooming business so to speak. Thousands of products are available in the orchid growing market. From seedlings to full grown plants, fertilizer, growth enhancers and sundry items like misters and pots are all available in plant shops or online. Lessons, seminars and conventions also assist the intrepid orchid lover to enhance the knowledge needed to keep the plant alive and growing.

Information about orchids is available through books, pamphlets, videos and as searchable data on the World Wide Web. With the care that orchid lovers exert on this plant it would be easy to forget that this is actually one hardy plant. In fact it has lived since the time of the dinosaurs and can thrive in almost any environment even the arctic.

The orchid plant has a myriad of ways by which it can reproduce. Using its prominent lip as a landing place for insects and birds, the enterprising orchid plant can attract pollinators in this way. Some literature even says that the home hobbyist can aid pollination with a small brush or a pencil. The demand for orchid flowers and the growing number of people interested in raising this flower have served much to further its popularity. Although its primary use is to serve the cut-flower industry, some varieties of orchid have other uses aside from the esoteric. One kind of orchid is the Vanilla which is a popular flavoring the world over. The tubers of some orchids are also used for flavoring. Some scientists are also exploring the scent of orchids as new fragrances for the perfume market. Even the leaves have an ornamental use. It is certainly provident to have enough information about orchids to satisfy all the questions of orchid lovers around the world.