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Phalaenopsis Orchids
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Orchid Botany Horticulture |
"The only problem with nurseries is that they do not specialize in any specific plant, but rather grow a wide variety of plants."
Orchids in Traditional Medicine and Food
Today we know orchids as showy and decorative plants in homes and gardens. Many of those having a palate for vanilla, perhaps, know that natural vanilla comes from the seedpods of one species of orchids, the Vanilla planifolia. In recent years, though, the use of artificial vanilla flavor has reduced the desire for natural vanilla.
Less known to most of us are the other interesting uses of orchids in traditional food and medicine. A brief look at some of the world cultures reveals orchid plants as significant from both nutritional and medicinal viewpoints.
Orchids as Medicine
Historical records show that the ancient Chinese used orchids as medicine. Even today, paintings of orchid plants can be seen on old vases of Chinese origin. John Parkinson wrote in 1640 about the possibility of having many children for a man who eats a large orchid tuber. In fact, the name orchid comes from the Latin, meaning testicle (ancient Greek and Romans believed orchid roots to be a cure for many sexual problems).
Today, primitive people around the world use various orchids for a variety of folk medicines and cures. In the West Indies, a liquid is obtained by boiling bulbs of the orchid Bletia purpurea. This liquid is used for curing poisoning from fish. In Malaya, women take a drink from boiled leaves of the orchid Nervilia aragoana to prevent sickness after childbirth.
In Malacca, scalds of boiling liquid are treated with a poultice prepared from the plant body of Oberonia anceps. In Chile, the orchid Spiranthes diuretics is known to be a strong diuretic. In Ecuador, the mucilage from Catasetum is thought to be good for fractured bones.
Orchids as Food
In various parts of the world, certain orchids are used for food or food supplements. In Malaya, for instance, the leaves of one species of orchid, Anoectochilus, are sold as a vegetable. Similarly, leaves of the famous orchid Dendrobium salaccense are cooked as seasoning with rice.
In certain parts of Asian Tropics, the tubers of some species of Gastrodia are eaten the way we eat potatoes, hence the name Potato Orchid for Gastrodia. Salep is (or Saloop) is a kind of nutritional drink, made in India in the 19th century from orchid tubers. Salep is derived from the tubers of several species of Orchis. The tubers are boiled, dried, and then powdered. The resulting preparation is often used as flour substitute.
Orchid Greenhouses
The flowers are then sold to florists and retailers at wholesale flower markets.
"Though the Phalaenopsis are the most popular orchids for pot-growing, the Red orchid is part of this family; this flower is very rare because breeding this plant is quite difficult."
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Phalaenopsis Orchids Information |
| Orchids and Onions (Tribune Chronicle)
ORCHID: To the Wean Foundation and its announcement by President Joel Ratner to support organized neighborhood groups in Youngstown and Warren. The Raymond John Wean Foundation started as a small family-run foundation in 1949 and has since grown into a million organization.
The wilderness years (Guardian Unlimited)
Travel: Kevin Rushby wants to be green but doesn't want to give up flying. He finds a fix on his doorstep.
Orchids & Onions 7/28 (Mesabi Daily News)
Orchids: For the class of 1942. Thank you for inviting me to all your functions. I feel like a classmate. The banquet at the Elks was great and also the picnic at the park. Youre all great. (Submitted by Eleanor Spehar.)
Baby those blooms: 3 steps to ensure flowers' freshness, longevity (Florida Today)
Taking time to process cut flowers ensures their freshness and longevity.
ORCHIDS: Cattleyas bloom only on newest leaf growth (Richmond Times-Dispatch)
Q. I recently purchased a beautiful red Cattleya orchid. The plant has done well and after blooming produced three new pseudobulbs. Can I expect more flowers soon? -- Drew L. A. Cattleyas bloom only on their newest leaf growth or pseudobulb. This process occurs at the same time each year and is individual to the plant. For example, a Cattleya that blooms in July this year will bloom again each ...
Readers' online comments 7/26 (Mesabi Daily News)
Readers have been busy responding to local news stories, Our Views editorials and Orchids & Onions both online and in personal e-mails. We will daily publish their comments on our Opinion page. More can be found five days a week on our new interactive Page A2.
Wild Orchids - Cattleya Orchids
Orchid plant food is available at various locations online or in stores, and of course depending on which type of plant you have and what type of food you personally prefer, it is in the end up to the buyer exactly which type of plant food is best to purchase.
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| "When looking for information like the one in the article, ‘orchid sources’, this is the site to go to." |
| "There are a lot of sites out there but this site gave me the information I was searching for." |
| "The information contained in the article, ‘orchid growers’, got me really hungry for more information." |
| "A nice painting of a yellow orchid can really set off a room decorated with other hues of yellow." |
| "Some grow many blooms on one stem, others, a single flower." |
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