Download FEBRUARY – The Amazing Sex Life of Orchids This is a talking

FEBRUARY – The Amazing Sex Life of Orchids
This is a talking project – See
Discussion below.
Materials:
• Container (e.g., 3” cube)
• Oasis, Moss, Floral Tape
• Small bamboo stems to lengthen
orchids, or other rigid sticks
• Tall Stems (e.g., pussy willow,
forsythia, flowering shrub or tree,
evergreen, Japanese Maple,
corkscrew willow.)
• Shorter Stems by 1/3
• Artificial Orchid Stem, wired to
desired height
• Greens for fill at base of
arrangement (cut very short)
Preparation:
• Cut oasis to fit container – oasis
should be below top of container.
Opaque are preferred; if clear glass
is used, wrap oasis in moss.
• Using wire cutters, cut artificial
orchids into one stem with several
blossoms.
• Tape orchids onto bamboo or other
stick to desired length. Orchid can
be shortest part of arrangement.
During Program, Participants Will:
• Choose containers and flowers;
• Place moistened moss on top of container;
• Place tallest branch vertically in container. Height should be 1 and 1/3 times height of container;
• Place second branch at an angle to first;
• Place orchids in front;
• Fill in with greens around base of arrangement.
Discussion:
To illustrate the talk, bring lots of pictures of orchids; make paper orchid parts, a paper orchid and a paper
bee. A slide show would be great.
Around 100,000,000 years ago when the dinosaurs ruled the land, one of the first flowering plants was the
orchid. Over time the orchid family expanded to every part of the world except Antarctica. They live on trees,
rocks, in the ground or under it, in tropical rain forests, in grasslands, or on high mountains. Today there are
35,000 different species of orchids.
Orchids had reproduction on their agenda from the beginning. Each orchid developed at exactly the same
time as the specific bee, fly, wasp, ant, moth, butterfly, beetle, bat, or hummingbird that will pollinate it. The
orchids attract the insects by smell or mimicry. For example, the Bee orchids look to the male bee like a
receptive female and his attempt at mating with the flower will result in his carrying the pollen to the next
flower. Some orchids bear the flowers at the tips of long stems so they look like butterflies as they dance in
the breeze.
Many orchids lure the insects with nectar. Once inside the flower, the bug may be slapped with pollen that
sticks like superglue until the insect rubs against the reproductive organs of its next port of call. The lady
slipper orchid attracts the insect to the edge of its slippery pouch by scent. When it falls in the pouch it may
get too wet to fly. The orchid provides only one exit, a narrow doorway, which insures that the pollen will be
firmly pressed against the bug as he escapes. Orchids which rely on ants will produce long petals which trial
all the way down to the ground so the ants have a pathway to their flowers; sometimes the ants live inside the
flower. Orchids that need to attract moths are often white and fragrant at night.
Orchids have an unusual problem with reproduction. Although they produce masses of tiny seeds, the
individual seed is too small to carry the food necessary for growth. Orchids rely on a symbiotic relationship
with certain fungi which become its lifeline to the outside world.
Nature directed the world’s orchid production for millions of years. Three hundred years ago, man became
the orchestra leader. Botanists first collected species from around the world. Then they began to hybridize
the orchids, that is, create new species through cross pollination. At the time the article I read was published,
there were 300,000 registered hybrid orchids. Not only has man mastered the art of making new orchids, but
he has mastered the science of mass producing orchids through cloning (taking one cell from a particular
flower and letting it grow in a laboratory setting until another plant exactly like the parent plant is produced.)
This explains why we can buy orchids in the grocery store for $20.00.
A simplified look at orchid anatomy:
• Orchids have 3 SEPALS, which look like outer petals, attached to the stem - 1 DORSAL (back) SEPAL
stands upright and 2 LATERAL (side) SEPALS go down at an angle.
• They also have 3 PETALS that are designed to attract the insects. PETALS have evolved to be fantastic,
bizarre and beautiful. Two PETALS project horizontally. The lower PETAL has a special name: the
LABELLUM or lip. It lies below the sexual parts and acts as the advertising sign, the welcome mat, or
grand entrance for the pollinator. It can be shaped like a banner, a ruffled petticoat, a dancing doll or
the back of a female bee.
• The male part of the orchid is a projection called the COLUMN.
• The female part of the orchid has evolved down to a STIGMATIC SURFACE located just below the
column.
All of the hundreds of thousands of orchids have the same parts, but they’re they all different!!!
Show Pictures of the following orchids:
• Cattleya – the one we may have given or worn as a corsage.
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Dendrobium – naturalizes in Hawaiian fields.
Oncidium – grow very tall, a wall of color.
Cymbidium – native to mountainous areas; very large and showy with many flowers per plant.
Phalaenopsis – easiest to grow at home. In the wild, these plants may grow on trees with the flowers
hanging down instead of pointing up.
Paphiopedium – commonly known as “Lady Slippers.” These orchids have a bowl-like lip that traps
insects.
Vanda – from the tropics; incredible variety.
Therapeutic Horticulture Project - Alyce Wertheimer