Some of the most interesting plants you can find at your local nursery or home improvement garden center are orchids. The orchid is an exquisite and very unique flower as it stands out among the rest of the flowers that are available to buy. The orchid usually has a long stem that bears one large flower and several small flowers at the top. There are many different types of orchids available today.
The beautiful orchid has graced our world for many centuries. Today, the varieties of orchids exceed 25,000 and the number of hybrids is well over 100,000. The number of hybrids is continually growing because orchid lovers are creating new and more interesting flowers. The reason for creating hybrids is to increase the color, pattern, and durability of the plant. By durability, I mean how easy it is to grow, make it bloom longer, and be less susceptible to dying from lack of watering. These are the types of orchids that are available to buy at the nursery.
Each orchid comes from one of two very large families. One family is called Terrestrial and the other is Epiphytes. Within each of these families, the different types of orchids will vary. The two groups are based on where and how the orchid grows. The first family, the terrestrial ones, are the orchids that we normally see and many of the orchids take root below ground, although some can do so above and below the surface of the ground. The term for this particular species is called semi-terrestrial.
One of the most common types of orchids within the terrestrial family is the Cymbidium. This orchid was one of the first orchids to be cultivated and brought into our homes. These orchids can be found in the regions of Southeast Asia, Japan and Australia. The Cymbidium should be planted in a mix of soil and rock and is one of the most popular orchids. An attribute of Cymbidium is that this is one of the few types of orchids that can withstand cooler temperatures.
The second of the two types of orchids are epiphytes. These orchids grow with their roots exposed to the elements and can be found growing in a multitude of different places, such as trees and rocky areas. Due to the locations these orchids live in, they offer a larger number of seeds to ensure they are successfully disbursed by the wind as well as animals and insects. When an orchid grows on a tree, its roots will get the necessary moisture from the bark of the tree. Epiphytes are easier to grow than Terrestrial ones because the irrigation process is much simpler.
There are over 1,000 different epiphytes today and each one is just as beautiful as the next. These types of orchids are typically found in the more tropical areas such as Australia, Polynesia, Southeast Asia, and northern India. Of these types of orchids, Dendrobiums are the most common, but they do not bloom as often as we would like.