the neverending story

[twirly]

Around 120 million years ago, when the dinosaurs ruled the land, much of the world was covered by primordial forest, and plant life was rapidly becoming diverse, flowering plants were evolving and one of the first of these was the orchid.

As the world underwent many changes species of both plant and animal life died out or were replaced, but the orchid family expanded, populating every corner of the world except Antarctica, living on trees, rocks, in the ground or under it, tropical rainforest or lush grassland, high mountain or bog, they thrived, nothing seems capable of upsetting their evolutionary process , indeed it is generally accepted that in the world today, there are around 35,000 different species of orchid in existence; many myths abound concerning them, the most common of which is that they are parasitical plants, this is not so, orchids grow on trees - true, but they do not feed from them, they use the host merely as somewhere to be.

The earliest written evidence of their presence if in the form of Chinese and Japanese drawing and literature of the circa 700 B.C. At that time described and used as herbs and cures for many maladies. You may be interested to know that the seed pod of the orchid Vanilla planifolia is used to flavour ice cream.

World-wide some 33,000 species as known, in addition there are in the order of 200,000 plus hybrids registered, these records are kept at Kew here in the U.K.

In England orchid cultivation commenced some 250-300 years ago as church missionaries, army personnel and explorers sent plants to friends and patrons.

The nurseries of that era dispatched 'plant hunters' far and wide. Seafarers also returned with exotic plants to supplement their income, and it was only natural, (one of the major ports of the time being Liverpool) that the North of England became a focal point for orchid culture. A few northern names which may strike a chord with anyone familiar with orchid history are, Thomas Moss (Cattleya mossiae), a Liverpool Banker; Holbrook Gaskell (Cattleya gaskelliana) a Liverpool chemical manufacturer; Enoch Harvey (Dendrobium harveyanum) a Liverpool solicitor.
The Rev John Clowes (Anguloa clowesii) resided in Manchester, and not too far away in Staffordshire lived James Bateman (Vanda batemanii). Whilst in Derbyshire one of the largest collections of orchids at that time was at Chatsworth, the seat of the Duke of Devonshire.

There are approx. 35 wild species in the British Isles - most of which do not survive being moved from their natural habitat, however nurseries specializing in "hardy orchids" can provide similar plants for outdoor growing.

(information from The North of England Orchid Society)

[twirly]

Orchids get their name from the Greek orchis, meaning 'testicle', from the appearance of subterranean tuberoids in some terrestrial species. The word 'orchis' was first used by Theophrastos (371/372 - 287/286 B.C.), in his book "De historia plantarum" (The natural history of plants). He was a student of Aristotle and is considered the father of botany and ecology.

[pikevi]

Has anyone seen an orchid which resembles a testicle? If so, can you give me the name of it, please.

Just to add another point of interest is that an inflammation of the testicle is called 'orchitis'

[Cynthia, Prescott, AZ]

Orchis ... , it is a European terrestrial and the SUBTERANIAN bulbs are of the named shape.

[pikevi]

I found some species for the genus Orchis. I am still trying to locate a picture.

Thanks for the info.