Where grow orchids? Orchids in the wild

A flowering orchid can decorate any home. It adds color to the interior, creates a feeling of freshness and coziness. But everyone knows that the orchid was not always a room flower, in nature there are many kinds of this beauty. Where do orchids grow in the wild? In which country should you go to enjoy the natural beauty of the plant? These questions are worth looking for detailed answers.

What are these plants

Our favorite orchids are one of the oldest plants. Their existence was confirmed in the Late Cretaceous era. According to the scientific classification, the Orchid family is referred to the Tsvetkovykh department, Monocotyledon class, the order of the Asparagus plants. The Latin name is Orchidáceae.

In total, more than 35 thousand names of orchids are known. In fact, these plants make up the seventh part of all the colors of the Earth. But at the same time they are surprisingly different in form, color and size. So who is she, the beautiful orchid? Where does it grow (countries, continents)? What conditions does it require? How long has it been known to people?

First mentions

In Verona, on the excavations of Monte Bols, the most ancient fragments of an orchid were found. And the name of the flower was invented by the Greek philosopher Theophrastus, who lived in the 6th-5th centuries BC. A brilliant plant philosopher included in the systematic treatise on pharmaceutical botany, which was called De Historia Plantarum. An ancient scientist thought that the two tubercles at the base of the roots are similar to the testicles of a human, so he named the plant "orchis" (in ancient Greek this means "testicle"). In scientific circles this name is used so far, plants are called Orchid, or Yatryshnikovye.

Scientist Dioskrid, whose lifetime was in the first century AD, mentions orchids in his works. He claims that the plant was known to the Aztecs (Mexico), and they used one of them, in particular vanilla, to create fragrant drinks.

But the first treatise on the cultivation of orchids was written in China in the eleventh century. There was not much information about where the orchids grow, the emphasis was on how to decorate your house with a flowering plant and protect yourself from evil spirits.

Dividing into groups

Since the family of these plants is huge, it was further divided into groups:

• A group of epiphytic orchids that live on trees;
• A group of saprophytic plants living underground;
• Group of terrestrial orchids.

And now, knowing that orchids in nature can grow in different conditions, we can talk about their distribution.

Distribution of orchids

Orchid plants are found on all continents. Not lucky only Antarctica, but there are generally tugovato with plants. Most representatives can be found in tropical latitudes. This is due to the most favorable environment for growth. In the tropics, the largest number of epiphytic orchid species.

In temperate latitudes, terrestrial herbaceous perennials are most often encountered. They can be rhizome and tuberous. However, there are much fewer orchids here than in the tropics. If we consider the Northern Hemisphere, then in the temperate latitudes, where the orchids of the terrestrial group grow, no more than 75 genera can be found. This is approximately 10%. And in the temperate latitudes of the Southern Hemisphere there are only 40 genera.

In the post-Soviet space, up to 49 genera of Orchids can be found.

Scientists conducted a conditional division of orchids into climatic provinces:

1. The first includes Central America, South America, the coasts of Africa and other areas located on the same parallel. It is warm and humid, just what the epiphytic orchids like. In the first zone there are representatives of all groups.
2. The second zone includes the mountainous regions, that is, the Andes, the mountains of Brazil, New Guinea, Malaysia, Indonesia. The temperature here is slightly lower, but the humidity is high. Almost all representatives of Orchids can exist in the second zone.
3. The third zone includes plateaus and steppes. For orchids, the conditions are unfavorable, but even in difficult conditions they are present. There are a few epiphytic species and terrestrial ones.
4. The fourth climatic zone is characterized by a temperate climate. Orchids are few. Only terrestrial species.

Epiphytic orchids

Epiphytic orchids do not need earth for growth and nutrition. Trees and rocks, where orchids grow, give them only support. The roots are in the air, from which they receive both moisture and food. But many people thought that orchids parasitize on trees. Most epiphytic species have thickenings, similar to tubers. These are false bulbs (pseudobulbs) in which nutrients and moisture accumulate.

The subspecies of epiphytic orchid plants growing on rocks are called lithophytes. On rocks usually grow those species, which in the surrounding forests do not have enough light. Naturally, lithophytic orchids in nature also have aerial roots.

Saprophytic orchids

This is a rather large group of plants, consisting of a simple shoot without leaves, but with scales. The end of the escape is a brush of flowers (in houseplants it is usually a single flower).

The saprophytic underground plant does not have chlorophyll. Organic substances to it fall from the humus substrate. Underground rhizome usually resembles coral. Its peculiarity is the inability to produce new roots. Rhizomes actively absorb water by the entire surface, in which nutrients are dissolved. Organic substances for growth and nutrition of saprophytic orchids produce a mycosis fungus.

Ground orchids

A group of terrestrial orchids combined plants that have ordinary green leaves, underground bulbs or roots and root cones. Such species are widespread in the United States and Europe. Here their height is about 50 cm. But in the tropics, where wild orchids grow, terrestrial species can be much higher. Very often they look like a blossoming spreading bush.

Orchids of terrestrial species have a common underground root system or root cones. After wintering new shoots grow from young cones.

A familiar stranger - Phalaenopsis

Such plants are often sold in flower shops around the world. The orchid phalaenopsis is very popular among the flower growers . Where this species grows in natural conditions, not everyone knows. But about the home care for the beauty of information, more than enough. Let's fill in the gaps in knowledge and deal with wild phalaenopsis.

The species is widespread in Southeast Asia and China. Happens in the Himalayas, Indochina, the Malay Archipelago, the Philippines. It covers the territory of Taiwan, New Guinea and Australia. On Sumatra and the Andaman Islands there is a water phalaenopsis. Monsoon forests prefers montane forests, as well as mountain and tropical forests. Phalaenopsis belongs to the epiphytic group.

Dendrobium noble - orchid noble

What does a noble orchid dendrobium noble look like ? Where do these flowers grow in nature? Most often they can be found in the Himalayas, the southern part of China, in the territory of Northern India, Vietnam and Indonesia. The distribution area includes the Southern part of Eurasia. Plants belong to the epiphytic and lithophyte group, but some varieties are terrestrial. Appearance of dendrobiums is very attractive. Shoots grow from pseudobulbs, and each can give 10-20 flowers. The plant has a pleasant delicate aroma.

Cattleya is a fragrant American

Beautiful Cattleya came to Europe quite by accident. Its leaves were used as a packaging material for the transfer of tropical lichens. The parcel with the plants was sent to William Cattleya, who forgot to throw out the "packaging". And then a miracle happened - beautiful flowers appeared on the pile of green garbage! Since then, the study of exotic species of orchids. To date, more than 60 subspecies of orchids of this genus are known.

Different species of Cattleya require different climatic conditions. Central and South America, where this type of orchids grow, has territories with different percentages of humidity and temperature regime. Some species live in the Amazon basin, where humidity can reach up to 100%. Some require more dry and sunny places. A few species of Cattleya grow in the mountains of Brazil, where the winter temperature is about 5 ° C. The Cattleya family also consists of epiphytic and lithophytic plants.

Despite the huge number of species, orchid plants in the wild need protection. Especially it concerns the orchids of Eurasia. For example, in Russia, Ukraine and Belarus, there are almost 130 species of terrestrial orchids, and all of them are under threat of extinction.