Orchids and their homeland. Orchid country of origin What kind of soil do orchids need?

Many of us have them on our windowsills or desks they show off beautiful, exotic plants- orchids. Modern orchids, of course, are indoor plants, but they optimal conditions lives directly follow from the climatic features of the homeland of their predecessors.

So, where is the homeland of the indoor orchid?

Orchids are specific plants. The fact is that they can grow both directly on the ground and on other plants. The vast majority come from South America. Today they have become so popular that they grow in almost every corner of our world. Scientists say that there are more than 30 thousand species, but this is not the final figure. Not a year goes by without another species of this exotic, heat-loving plant being discovered.

Another habitat of these plants is Southeast Asia. In principle, its climate is somewhat similar to the climate of South America, so there is no need to be surprised. It is from there that the Phalaenopsis orchid comes, which is the ancestor of the so familiar to us indoor orchids. If in America orchids prefer to grow in the jungle, in moisture and in diffused light, then in Asia their favorite place has become the equally wet shores of reservoirs or even coastal cliffs.

These plants can boast very specific roots - thick, round or flat, like suction cups. But they are very convenient for clinging to any surface, be it a stone or the bark of another plant. They do not dry out in the air; they have no vital need for soil.

Some types of terrestrial orchids, from which indoor orchids were subsequently bred through long-term selection, grow in North America, Australia and even in Europe. None of these species, unchanged, became indoor species, but they all served as material for other species adapted to apartment existence.

It must be said that in the tropics of South America there grows a completely unique, one-of-a-kind species - the precious orchid. This plant blooms very small and even inconspicuously, but it can boast absolutely fantastic, like velvet leaves with some kind of luminous patterns, they flicker when they move. In fact, it’s difficult to describe in words; this is exactly the case when it’s easier to see it once. Such aristocrats flora, but not even every expert can keep them at home, they are very capricious and sensitive.

What is phalaenopsis: biological description

Orchids presented a large number of families and genera.

Phalaenopsis orchid is one of the most common for growing at home around the globe, it is the one most often sold in flower shops.

How to recognize it by external signs?

Phalaenopsis belongs to the epiphytic representatives of the orchid family, which have grown on the globe since prehistoric times.

The family numbers about 40 species, which will differ in flowers and leaves.

The general characteristics of the plant are:

Phalaenopsis leaves develop on a shortened stem;
In an adult plant usually 4-6 leathery leaves bright color. They are dense, evergreen, and can reach 5-30 cm in length;
Plant growth it always happens only upwards, phalaenopsis does not produce branches;
From the axils between the leaves the flower periodically drives out the peduncle, on which up to 100 flowers can appear. The arrows are usually branched;
Phalaenopsis flowers visually resemble butterflies, their color is variegated, sometimes interspersed with other shades are visible on the main color;
Root system represented by aerial roots, which is why Phalaenopses is classified as an epiphytic plant.

Distinctive feature plants is strong aroma during flowering.

Homeland of the orchid and distribution area

The homeland of phalaenopsis is considered to be the Southeast part of Asia., from here they spread throughout the humid lowland and mountain forests:

Philippines;
Indonesia;
North of Australia.

At home They grow hybrids that are bred by crossing several species.

Wild phalaenopsis will not survive in our latitudes, even if you try to create conditions identical to the tropics for it.

Hybrids for home growing

When purchasing a phalaenopsis in large flower shop Many people are faced with the problem of choice.

Sellers specify, what kind of flower you would like to have at home, and begin to list the types.

Let's find out what the differences are hybrid varieties Phalaenopsis orchids:

Standard It is considered the most common species for our latitudes. Its height together with peduncles is about 70 cm, a hybrid has large dense leaves, which can reach 35 cm in length. The expelled peduncle during the flowering period has a diameter of 1 cm, on the branches of which flowers of medium diameter are placed. Pot for an adult plant usually no more than 14 cm in diameter;
Royal phalaenopsis has larger flowers, unlike the standard. And the standard itself, derived from special technology, has large dimensions. The peduncle grows up to a meter, the leaves can reach 60 cm, and the flower has a diameter of up to 18 cm;
Close in description would be grandiflora. The height of the peduncle in this variety can reach a meter, and the leaf size can be up to 40 cm. There are not many flowers on the arrow, up to 10 pieces, but they please the eye for a long time;
Phalaenopsis midi are smaller in size, their height reaches only 45 cm together with the peduncle, the leaf is no more than 20. A subspecies of midi is orchid multiflora, with the same size, has smaller flowers, which are compactly placed on branched peduncles. On average, this variety can have up to 100 flowers with a diameter of 3-4 cm;

Minis are different from the rest The miniature size of not only the flowers, the stem together with the peduncle grows to a maximum of 20 cm. The leaf size does not exceed 10 centimeters. Peduncle is low, and the flowers are small, collected in a cap-shaped inflorescence. A distinctive feature of the species is fragility of the whole plant. A pot with a diameter of 6 cm is sufficient for it;
Peloric is a modified flower, which looks different from its relatives. Phalaenopsis with the same name different colors, which was artificially created into a more refined form. There are several varieties of this type, the most common are considered butterflies and biglips;
Multi-flowered hybrid belongs to the species of medium height; together with the peduncle it reaches 55 cm. Most often kicks out a couple of flower stalks, each of which contains 12-14 flowers reaching a diameter of 5-7 cm.

Wild growing phalaenopsis in the house

As much as we would not like it, but brought from natural conditions growth trunks will not be able to take root in our latitudes.

No matter how hard flower growers try, wild phalaenopsis will die, there are several reasons for this:

Stress during transportation;
Inappropriate conditions of detention;
Fastidiousness of the wild kind.

This is what provoked the creation of hybrids, which adapt to environment faster and they won't be so picky.

Useful video

Look at the video to see what kind of phalaenopsis flower this is:

Educational video about what phalaenopsis is and its varieties:

Video tips on what diseases phalaenopsis orchids have:

Tropics in your home

If you decide to acquire such a marvelous flower at home, you should take care of creating a climate akin to it. The homeland of the indoor orchid is rich in warmth, light and humidity. The air temperature should be between 20-25 degrees. If the air temperature drops, the plant may not bloom on time or even get sick. Orchids - tender plants, and flowering takes a lot of their energy. If the plant is weakened and the peduncle has already been thrown away, then it is better to cut it off.

The flower is light-loving, but direct rays of the sun will be destructive for it. IN winter time it is better to place the plant on south side apartments, and with the onset of summer move to the eastern or western zone. When daylight hours are shortened, you will need to provide a flower additional source Sveta. For these purposes, you can use a fluorescent lamp. Place it at some distance from the plant; the orchid's daylight hours are at least 11 hours a day.

Life-giving moisture

Wet forests are the homeland of the orchid. Your pet will lack air humidity in your home. To provide her with optimal living conditions, place her near an aquarium or simply place a bowl of water. As the water evaporates, the flower will receive life-giving moisture from the air. The plant needs to be moistened with water from a sprayer, but so as not to wet the flowers. Water should be distilled or boiled; it should be soft, warm and moderately hard. Water plays an important role in the life of an orchid; it is not only a means of nutrition, but also a temperature regulator.

Moderate watering

In summer you need to water the plant once every 3-7 days, in winter - no more than once a week. The soil should not be wet all the time. It should dry out thoroughly between waterings. Motherland indoor plants The orchid sometimes alternates between heavy rains and drought. It is during periods of stagnation that insects fly in to pollinate flowers, and the orchid prepares for this in advance. If we water less often, the plant will begin to flower.

Watering can be combined with fertilizing; 1-2 times a month is quite enough. For fertilizer, complexes special for orchids are used. When watering, make sure that water does not get on the axils of the leaves and the growing point. If this happens, remove the water with a cotton swab.

When watering, you should thoroughly moisten the substrate in which your orchid grows. Pour water well around the pot; excess water should completely drain into the tray under the pot. We drain it from the pan and repeat watering again.

Phalaenopsis

Phalaenopsis is the most low-maintenance orchid. It was she who allowed professional flower growers to take a decisive step forward, and deservedly took one of the most prestigious positions in many greenhouses. The Phalaenopsis orchid is native to northeastern Australia, the Philippines and southeast Asia.

The plants have huge flowers that look like moths. Their colors can be very different, and the flower seems to be made of wax. Phalaenopsis does not require special humidity or temperature changes. It is hardy, blooms twice a year, and its flowers do not fade for several months. Phalaenopsis have another unusual feature. They can form shoots - babies in the axils of the peduncles. When such a shoot takes root, it can be separated and transplanted into a separate substrate.

Soil for orchids

The orchid is a very unusual homeland for indoor plants, and sometimes even flowers have to adapt to it. Almost all orchids are epiphytes; they grow not on the ground, but in the air on trees. They don't need soil at all. Their roots have mastered photosynthesis, so it is better to grow them in transparent pots.

You can easily prepare a mixture for growing orchids yourself. To do this you will need dry pine bark and dried sphagnum moss. The bark will need to be boiled, dried, and after a few days the boiling procedure will be repeated. After drying, chop the bark into small pieces and mix with moss. The “earth” for the orchid is ready. If you particularly wish, you can also use soil. In this case, soil, sphagnum and pine bark are mixed in equal parts. This is so comprehensive unusual orchid. The plant’s homeland came up with a very unusual soil composition for it.

Other types

Today we focused on the most common types of orchids on sale and how to create conditions for them to comfortable stay in your home. But when buying a flower, it is important to consider that there is still a remaining 10% of flowers that are not native to the tropics. The approach to such plants should be different. The homeland of the orchid flower may be completely different, so appropriate care will need to be provided. What is good for one species may be disastrous for another. Therefore, find out from the seller all the subtleties and nuances of caring for this amazing plant before purchasing.

Which country is the birthplace of the orchid? and got the best answer

Answer from Elena[guru]
Most bromeliads are native to the American jungle, where they grow among orchids on trees or on the forest floor. Until recently, this plant species was considered relatively young. But a new find in Australia has refuted this opinion. It represents a bee frozen in a piece of amber, on whose back pollen was found from an ancient orchid of the Goodyerinae subgroup. Interestingly, most modern orchids leave their pollen on the heads of the insects that pollinate them, and very few leave their pollen on their backs. Scientists have determined the age of the pollen found to be 15-20 million years. They also compiled an evolutionary tree for the orchid family and, with its help, calculated the age of the ancestral species of orchids - about 80 million years. This was the late Cretaceous period, when dinosaurs still existed. Apparently, some of them could well be walking among the blooming orchids.

Reply from Lana********[guru]
The homeland of orchids is the countries of South- East Asia. The orchid represents splendor, favor and luxury. In Chinese symbolism, this is a perfect person, harmony, sophistication, love, beauty, feminine charm, the reclusiveness of a scientist.
Orchid is also Chinese character fertility and a talisman against impotence, as well as an emblem of beauty, learning, sophistication, friendship. In Chinese paintings, orchids in a vase symbolize harmony.
There are many legends and traditions associated with orchids. People in China loved this one very much beautiful flower, and in many countries Latin America For example, in Costa Rica, Venezuela, Guatemala and Panama, orchids have become the national flower and emblem.
The New Zealand Majori tribe had a beautiful legend about the origin of orchids. They were sure of the divine origin of these flowers. Long ago, long before humans, the only visible parts of the earth were snow-capped peaks high mountains. From time to time, the sun melted the snow, thereby forcing the water to flow down from the mountains in a rapid stream, forming amazing waterfalls. Those, in turn, rushed in seething foam towards the seas and oceans, after which, evaporating, they formed curly clouds. These clouds eventually completely obscured the view of the earth from the sun.
One day the sun wanted to pierce this impenetrable cover. Heavy tropical rain began to fall. After it, a huge rainbow formed, hugging the entire sky.
Admired by the hitherto unprecedented spectacle, the immortal spirits - the only inhabitants of the earth at that time - began to flock to the rainbow from all, even the most distant lands. Everyone wanted to grab a spot on the colorful bridge. They pushed and cursed. But then everyone sat down on the rainbow and sang together. Little by little, the rainbow sagged under their weight until it finally collapsed to the ground, crumbling into a myriad of small multi-colored sparks.
Immortal spirits, who had never seen anything like this before, watched with bated breath the fantastic multi-colored rain. Every particle of the earth gratefully accepted the fragments of the heavenly bridge. Those that were caught by the trees turned into orchids.
This is where the triumphal procession of orchids across the earth began. There were more and more colorful lanterns, and not a single flower dared to challenge the orchid’s right to be called the queen of the flower kingdom.

Reply from Ivan[guru]
Malaysia

Reply from DICK[guru]
Most of them are in Indonesia. And Russia has its own orchid - the Lady's slipper.
There are many legends, and they are different in each country.

Reply from Vladimir T[guru]
Orchids - (Orchid family, lat. Orchidaceae) - the largest family among monocots, numbering about 750 genera and from 20,000 to 25,000 species, according to some data - up to 800 genera and 35,000 species, this is almost 10% of all plants in the world. Nowadays, orchids are found on all continents except Antarctica. Distributed in almost all areas of the earth suitable for plant habitation. Most are concentrated in tropical latitudes. The name orchid comes from the Greek word orchis, which means testicle. In 1731, an English botanist was able to grow from a dried plant that he received from Bermuda. This flower is the first tropical orchid recorded to bloom in England. And already in 1818, William Cattleya developed the now famous genus of orchids Cattleya. The most famous orchid plant is Vanilla planifolia, from which vanilla is made. Most known orchids are epiphytes. Orchids can be the size of moss or can reach a height of 2 meters.

Orchids are one of the most species-rich families of the plant world. Representatives of this family can be found almost anywhere on the globe: in rainy tropical forests, in savannas and steppes, in hot lowlands and in cold mountainous regions, at an altitude of up to 5000 meters. However, the greatest diversity of species of the orchid family can be seen in the tropical and subtropical zones of East Asia, as well as in Central and South America. These regions are the birthplace of most of the orchids grown in our country as indoor plants.

A Brief History of Orchid Growing
Orchids have been admired and collected since ancient China. 300 years before Christ, the Greek Theophrastus gave these plants the name "orchis", which means "testicles" and alludes to the paired thickened root tubers that the European orchis has. Later this name was transferred to the entire plant family as a whole. In 1731, the first tropical orchid, brought from the Bahamas by a missionary, bloomed in Europe. However, almost another century passed before the real hunt for these exotic seed plants began.

IN early XIX centuries, orchids appeared in England - they were used as packaging material for other tropical plants. One day, gardener and plant importer William Catley became interested in strange parts of plants. He planted them in a pot and a plant with unusually large, lush flowers grew from them. It was an orchid. In honor of the man who discovered orchids in Europe, the genus to which the flower he grew belonged was named after him - Cattleya (Latin Cattleya).
After this unusual discovery, many gardening farms sent their “orchid hunters” to the tropical regions of Asia, America and Africa. These people discovered and collected many new species of precious flowers, but often they simply barbarously stole orchids from their natural habitats. For a long time exotic plants were sold at excessive, low prices affordable price, the cost of some copies reached 12,000 German marks. And only when gardeners were finally able to successfully propagate these plants, the flower trade faded into the background. Today, almost 30,000 wild species of orchids and 150,000 crosses, so-called hybrids, are known. However, even today new species of orchids are being discovered. In the early 80s, unknown species of Lady's slipper with large flowers of very bright color were discovered in China. Nowadays, all wild orchids are protected by environmental laws. Today, the task of gardeners and orchid breeders is to obtain many new species.

Epiphytic lifestyle
Most tropical orchids in their natural habitats are so-called epiphytes: they settle on other plants, in the forks and crowns of trees. The reason for choosing such a unique place of residence is that orchids can receive more light on tree crowns than on shady soil. tropical forest. Orchids do not take water or nutrients from host plants, and therefore are not parasitic plants. Nutrients they are obtained using specially formed roots, from moist tropical air, as well as from a thin plant layer of soil (humus), which accumulates on the branches and bark of trees. The epiphytic lifestyle determines some of the unique requirements of orchids for climate and care, which you need to know and fulfill in order to successfully grow these plants.

Other places of growth
In addition to epiphytic plants, there are many more types of orchids, including tropical ones, which grow with their roots in the ground. This includes, for example, most species of Paphiopedilum, Cymbidium and Calanthe. They are also called soil, terrestrial or terrestrial orchids. Another group of orchids, relatively smaller in number, prefers stones and rocks for their habitat. The most famous representatives of this group of plants - they are also called lithophytes - are some species of Laelia, the so-called stone laelia.

Orchids - how useful plants
In ancient sagas and legends, orchids were often credited with the ability to increase potency. Today the most famous of, so to speak, " useful orchids" - this is Vanilla planifolia. Without this plant, with its incomparable aroma, it is impossible to imagine either the food or cosmetic industry today.

Which country is the birthplace of the orchid? and got the best answer

Reply from Lana********[guru]
The homeland of orchids is the countries of Southeast Asia. The orchid represents splendor, favor and luxury. In Chinese symbolism, this is a perfect person, harmony, sophistication, love, beauty, feminine charm, the reclusiveness of a scientist.
The orchid is also a Chinese symbol of fertility and a talisman against impotence, as well as an emblem of beauty, learning, sophistication, and friendship. In Chinese paintings, orchids in a vase symbolize harmony.
There are many legends and traditions associated with orchids. This beautiful flower was very loved in China, and in many Latin American countries, for example, Costa Rica, Venezuela, Guatemala and Panama, orchids became the national flower and emblem.
The New Zealand Majori tribe had a beautiful legend about the origin of orchids. They were sure of the divine origin of these flowers. Long ago, long before the advent of humans, the only visible parts of the earth were the snow-capped peaks of high mountains. From time to time, the sun melted the snow, thereby forcing the water to flow down from the mountains in a rapid stream, forming amazing waterfalls. Those, in turn, rushed in seething foam towards the seas and oceans, after which, evaporating, they formed curly clouds. These clouds eventually completely obscured the view of the earth from the sun.
One day the sun wanted to pierce this impenetrable cover. Heavy tropical rain began to fall. After it, a huge rainbow formed, hugging the entire sky.
Admired by the hitherto unprecedented spectacle, the immortal spirits - the only inhabitants of the earth at that time - began to flock to the rainbow from all, even the most distant lands. Everyone wanted to grab a spot on the colorful bridge. They pushed and cursed. But then everyone sat down on the rainbow and sang together. Little by little, the rainbow sagged under their weight until it finally collapsed to the ground, crumbling into a myriad of small multi-colored sparks.
Immortal spirits, who had never seen anything like this before, watched with bated breath the fantastic multi-colored rain. Every particle of the earth gratefully accepted the fragments of the heavenly bridge. Those that were caught by the trees turned into orchids.
This is where the triumphal procession of orchids across the earth began. There were more and more colorful lanterns, and not a single flower dared to challenge the orchid’s right to be called the queen of the flower kingdom.

Reply from Ivan[guru]
Malaysia

Reply from DICK[guru]
Most of them are in Indonesia. And Russia has its own orchid - the Lady's slipper.
There are many legends, and they are different in each country.