Among horticulturists, orchids are a favourite plant because of their beautiful flowers. The genus of orchids is diverse, widespread, and old. All over the world, they grow naturally. And the common cause why they are so widespread is because of human’s like and understanding for them. Here are ten fun facts about orchids.
10. They dated back 10 to 15 million years ago. A fossil of a bee dated back 10 to 15 million years ago also showed an ancient orchid pollen on its back.
9. Did you know that the vanilla is an orchid, and the Vanilla seed is the only commercially grown orchid crop.
8 The smallest orchid is just as big as 2mm, no bigger than a coin and its name is Plstystele jungermannioides.
7 If insects become extinct, so will orchids because there is no other way to pollinate these extremely attractive plants in the wild.
6 There are orchids whose flowers can last as long as 6 months and others for only a few hours.
5 If you need to grow orchids, you need to have patience and determination because it can take as long as 18 years to produce one of the most beautiful flowers.
4 Orchids are the largest family of flowering plants.
3 Orchids are quite devious because their reproductive parts are generally shaped like the insect which they are targeting, and once the insect move towards to the flower, the pollen sticks to it till it delivers the pollen to another orchid of the same species.
2 There are species of orchids which are parasitic and eat fungi that lives inside their roots as food.
1 There are certain orchid species that can live up to hundred years.
Orchids have the smallest seeds in the world, which becomes a big hindrance in cultivating and growing them. One of the reasons why their seeds are exmtremely small is because they do not have nutrients within and don’t have an endosperm. The size of an orchid seed is quite the same as a speck of dust and can only be seen under a microscope.