Photos and names of exotic orchid species
It is not for nothing that unique orchids are considered a symbol of the tropics, because they are as colorful and diverse as the whole nature of the equatorial regions of the planet. Photos of orchids, names and species are mesmerizing, and among flower growers of all countries they cause an irresistible desire to get these amazingly bright flowers into their collection.
The family unites completely different genera and species. Sometimes it is difficult to assume that a herbaceous plant several centimeters high and nondescript flowers is a relative of a many-meter liana with lush flowers and a powerful lignified trunk.
Most of orchids Are epiphytes adapted to life on large representatives of the flora.
Indoor varieties of orchids, their photos and names always amaze with a riot of colors and incredible decorative flowering. And this is no coincidence. Once in the field of view of botanists and breeding specialists, the orchid discovered an interesting feature. It turned out that plants belonging to different genera and species cross perfectly, giving hybrids that are unique in beauty and originality. They then became the founders of modern collections.
Therefore, when purchasing a flower in a pot, it is almost impossible to accurately determine its belonging to one or another genus. The ancestors of the hybrid are indicated in the name of the orchid species, and the photo can only remotely resemble wild-growing ancestors.
Phalaenopsis orchid: photo and description
Most often, as a room culture, you can find the one depicted on phalaenopsis orchid photo... In nature, this genus of orchid plants is found in the southeast of Asia and in Australia, where in humid forests it settles both on trees and on rocky ledges. Wild varieties can reach two meters in height, but indoor plants are smaller in size.
For two hundred years of a person's acquaintance with this, "like a moth", as the name of the genus is translated from Latin, a lot of varieties and hybrid forms of phalaenopsis have been bred by the flower. Standard potted plants, together with powerful peduncles bearing up to 40 corollas, can grow up to a meter in height, and dwarf plants do not exceed 20-30 cm in height.
There are forty species in the phalaenopsis genus, many of which are used to one degree or another as house plants or grown in botanical gardens and greenhouses.
With a huge number of differences, orchids belonging to the genus Phalaenopsis, as in the photo, have many common features. Plants are easily recognizable by thick, airy rhizomes covered with a waxy layer and providing orchids with both moisture and nutrients. Dense leathery leaves have an oblong-oval shape and are located opposite in a rosette.
An adult orchid has 6 to 10 leaves, and apart from plants with dark green foliage, you can find varieties not only with evenly colored, but also variegated foliage. The gamut of phalaenopsis colors will envy the palette of any artist. Today, flower growers are offered a choice of all shades of pink and lilac, purple and white, yellowish and even green. There are two-colored forms, plants, the corollas of which are decorated with contrasting veins and specks.
But if you want to buy blue or blue phalaenopsis, you should refrain from buying. This is perhaps the only shade that flowers do not naturally stain. All specimens offered by traders are actually painted in a special way, and next time an unusual flower will reveal not blue, but white corollas.
Dendrobium orchid: photo and description of the flower
Dendrobium, or tree-living, is another species of orchid, the photo and name of which are well known to all fans of this tropical culture. In nature, luxurious ornamental plants are found in many regions of Oceania, Australia and Southeast Asia.
Dendrobiums are one of the most numerous genera of orchids. Today, botanists have discovered and described more than 1000 species, and the first acquaintance with plants took place at the turn of the 19th century. It is not surprising that in the photo dendrobium orchids differ so much not only in color, but also in the shape of the corollas and lush racemose inflorescences.
The brightest and most famous representative of the genus is the dendrobium nobile orchid shown in the photo, beloved by flower growers for its incredibly beautiful flowering and rather unpretentious disposition.
But other types of orchids, in the photo, the name of which has this generic name, stand out for their incredible attractiveness, and sometimes even for the uniqueness of their appearance.
The elongated lanceolate leaves of epiphytic plants are not as dense as those of phalaenopsis. The dense roots are covered with a waxy coating. Powerful scaly shoots in some species can reach five meters and, depending on the length, be erect or hanging.
Ludisia orchid
This relatively small plant is one of the most unusual among indoor orchids. If a photo of orchid species usually amazes with an incredible number of shades and quirkiness of corollas, then the main advantage here is not flowers, but decorative foliage.
The pointed-ovoid foliage of the ludisia orchid stands out with a velvety surface covered with a fancy pattern of light green, pinkish or yellow, depending on the type of plant, veins. The orchid is not large. The rosette barely reaches 15–17 cm in height.
The orchid bloom is not too decorative. The racemose inflorescences with small fragrant flowers of white-yellow color, unlike other related crops that prefer to bloom in spring and summer, appear in winter.
Cymbidium orchid: photo and flower features
The types of orchids grown in a pot culture that are familiar to flower growers from photos and names may have different sizes and structures. Cymbidium is one of the most interesting orchid species in home collections. In nature, plants easily reach two meters in height. But not so tall varieties are used as green pets.
With a growth of 50 to 100 cm, the cymbidium orchid, as in the photo, reveals extremely bright and large flowers. The corolla of this plant can reach 13 centimeters in diameter, and the color options for powerful racemose inflorescences simply cannot be counted! The uniqueness of this genus is a long, up to six months flowering, as well as the aroma of some varieties.
Miltonia orchid
The South American genus of orchids has a huge number of species, most of which are herbaceous sympodial plants with large fragrant flowers.
The miltonia orchid is characterized by an epiphyte lifestyle, which determines its appearance. The culture has pointed-lanceolate leaves and small juicy pseudobulbs. In structure, the flowers resemble the corollas of a garden viola, but in shape and color they are much fancier and richer.
Among the species of orchids with this name, as in the photo, dozens of hybrid plants. Moreover, miltonia easily interbreeds even in natural conditions, giving natural hybrids.
Today, targeted selection is also underway to obtain unusual interspecific forms, of which, according to flower growers, there are already more than a dozen.
Miltonia orchid is valued by flower growers not only for the brightness of flowering, but also for its frequency.Plants of this genus can bloom several times a year, the main thing is that between the appearance of sparse racemose inflorescences, the flower has time to rest and give new shoots.
Cambria orchid: photos and vivid features of the plant
One of the interspecific hybrids derived from the miltonia orchid is cambria. The plant has elongated linear leaves, succulent pseudobulbs and thickened powerful shoots. The main advantage of the cambrian orchid shown in the photo is spectacular star-shaped flowers with a contrasting pattern on the lower petal.
Plants are unpretentious and perfectly tolerates growing at home.
Dracula orchid
Plants of the Dracula genus, which unites more than a hundred independent species, native to the tropical forests of the American continent, can claim the title of the most unusual orchid. These plants began to enjoy popularity quite recently, when Asian breeders paid attention to them.
Most of the orchid species shown in the photo with the name Dracula are epiphytes of the sympodial type. Plants settle on the branches and trunks of trees, and the corollas of an unusual shape hang down on long flexible peduncles.
On each peduncle, depending on the species, there may be one or several buds, which open one after another.
A generic feature is the structure of the flower, consisting of three large fused petals and a central concave lip. The ends of the petals are elongated and sometimes look like filamentous processes hanging from a flower. The crown is located between the small petals in the center of the corolla.
The most famous flower of this genus is the Dracula simia species, the flower of which resembles the face of a monkey. But there are more bizarre among these plants. An example is the almost black orchid dracula of the vampire species, named for the truly sinister appearance of the flowers.
Cattleya Orchid
Orchids belonging to the genus Cattleya are considered one of the most beautiful flowers in the entire extensive family. And in Brazil, these plants are recognized as a symbol of the country. And this is not surprising. The genus includes a great variety of species, adapted to grow both in humid jungles and in arid areas under the southern sun. At the same time, the flowers of the Cattleya orchid amaze with the richness of colors and a wonderful aroma.
Florists are offered spectacular hybrid Cattleya plants, and you can find both species blooming in spring and plants that open corollas closer to autumn.
Vanda orchid: photo and description of the flower
There are 53 species of plants in the genus Vanda, which grow in nature in tropical regions of Asia and Australia. Among flower growers, wanda orchids, as in the photo, are considered a real treasure. And this judgment is well founded.
Both species and hybrid plants amaze with surprisingly graceful bright flowers on long racemose inflorescences. An adult specimen sometimes forms not one, but several peduncles, which turns the bush into a spectacular bouquet with butterfly flowers. Corollas can have a uniform and variegated color in the widest range. Orchid wanda beautiful erect or lodging shoots with juicy opposite leaves and powerful roots up to two meters long. Such a look cannot fail to attract attention. And it is not surprising that in the video, orchids of this genus fascinate and make the heart flutter of both novice florists and connoisseurs of tropical cultures.