AboutOrchids

What do Brazil nuts have to do with orchids? Their relationship illustrates the complex links between rainforest residents. The nuts grow on massive trees in the Amazon, and rely on bees to pollinate their flowers. The bees, in turn, rely on orchids. Male bees collect orchid fragrances to lure females. They prefer the sweet scents of the unusual Bucket Orchid, Coryanthes vasquezii, a Stanhopea relative. “The more orchids, the more bees; the more bees, the more Brazil nuts.” This interdependence is one of the reasons why these trees are extremely difficult for farmers to cultivate, and the crop is collected from the wild. Brazil nuts, orchids, and bees link together in the intricate fabric of Amazon life.

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This entry was posted on Saturday, August 24th, 2013 at 10:14 pm and is filed under Conservation, Fragrant Orchids, In the News, Warm Growers.

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