Orchid

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The orchids are a large family of flowering plants, the Orchidaceae. They are herbaceous monocots.
There are between 22,000 and 26,000 species in 880 genera.
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They make up between 611% of all seed
plants. Orchids can be found in almost every country in the world except for Antarctica.
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People have grown orchids for a great number of years. They grow orchids for show, for science, or for food
(for example, vanilla).
Some orchids have very special ways of pollination. For example, the Lady's Slipper can trap insects and make
them pollinate the flower. Another instance is the Austrian orchid, which grows underground and is pollinated
by ants.
Distribution
Colombia and Ecuador have many different species. The Brazilian Atlantic forest has over 1500 species.
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Other places with great variety are the mountains in the south of the Himalayas in India and China. The
mountains of Central America and southeastern Africa also have various species, especially the island of
Madagascar.
Ecuador has 3459 species, the greatest number recorded.
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After Ecuador is Colombia, which has 2723.
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After Colombia is New Guinea, 2717 and Brazil, which has 2590 species in all.
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In warm places, where there is much grass, or in places where there is dry savanna and rocky fields, orchids
grow in the ground.
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They have firm underground roots, and sometimes have tubers to help protect themselves
against cold or snow.
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The tubers also help protect them against long drought or fire.
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The cold would freeze
the roots if they were not protected to store the nutrients they need for blooming in the spring.
It is thought that some species are becoming extinct in the wild. This is mainly because people cut down forests
for agriculture.
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Reproduction
Pollination
The complex cross-pollination mechanisms were described by Charles Darwin in his 1862 book The
Fertilisation of Orchids. Orchids have developed special pollination systems. The chances of being
pollinated are often scarce, so orchid flowers usually remain receptive for very long periods, and most orchids
deliver pollen in a single mass. Each time pollination succeeds, thousands of ovules can be fertilized. Catasetum,
a genus discussed briefly by Darwin, actually launches its sticky pollinia with explosive force when an insect
touches a seta (hair), knocking the pollinator off the flower.
Pollinators are often visually attracted by the shape and colours of the flower. The flowers may produce
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