Some orchids are tricksters. They fool pollinators into thinking they offer rewards like food, or even a mate. But not all their tricks are so devious. Cypripedium wardii, a Lady Slipper native to China and Tibet, tempts bees and hoverflies with fake pollen. This pseudopollen entices insects into visiting the blooms, where they also pick […]
The Nepali Times lays out the perils facing orchids in the Himalayan country. Nepal’s mountain valleys are full of cloud forests with rich orchid life. The country is home to over 500 different kinds. (By comparison, the USA and Canada have about 250 native species.) Many varieties are part of traditional medicines, and are legally […]
Among many peculiar pollination strategies in the orchid family, some South African species really stand out. The small blooms of Disa chrysostachya offer nectar to entice Malachite Sunbirds to perch on their flower spikes and take a drink. But instead of attaching to their beaks as they feed, the pollen sticks to their claws. Then […]
The science of orchids is marching forwards. Taipei Times reports on cutting edge genetic discoveries that will change orchid commerce. Researchers in Taiwan, which has a large orchid industry, have identified genes to control flower color, and to prolong the life of blooms. In time, they will be able to create varieties with new colors, […]
If we find life on Mars, will it be as strange as Australia’s Underground Orchids? These bizarre plants, also known as Rhizanthellas, live their whole lives below ground. They even bloom underground, and smell like vanilla. Known to science since 1928, there are now five identified species around the continent. All five are endangered, and […]
In the Himalayan foothills of northeastern India, the country’s only orchid sanctuary has had a facelift. Founded in 1989, Sessa Orchid Sanctuary covers 39 square miles (100 square km) in the state of Arunachal Pradesh, a biodiversity hotspot which is known as the “Orchid State of India.” Sessa villagers and government forest officials have installed a […]
Orchid lovers in the San Francisco Bay Area can take advantage of two local online sales. In addition, Hengduan Biotech in China is having an online sale that will ship most anywhere in the world. Ongoing until January 29 The University of California Botanical Garden at Berkeley is renovating its Tropical House, and selling divisions […]
Malaysian researchers are exposing the illegal plant trade on social media. Southeast Asian countries like Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Myanmar have thousands of native orchid species, many sought out by collectors. There has always been an orchid trade, but online sellers have a wider reach than ever before. Sites like Facebook and eBay are […]
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but the discovery of the ugliest orchid in the world has been big news. The newly identified Madagascan Gastrodia agnicellus has small, brown blooms that look like little pieces of rotting fruit. Like other members of the Gastrodia genus, this species is leafless, and takes its energy […]
The orchid-laden nation of Colombia has suffered a violent past. Colombian scientist Tatiana Arias hopes to use the country’s orchids to help keep the peace. In the last few years, a fragile peace treaty has ended six decades of violence between drug cartels and the government. Now, many rural areas need a reliable source of […]
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