Are orchids man made? This is a question often asked by novice orchid grower who have not yet fully understood the natural process of how orchids are grown. One of the biggest misconceptions or “myths” about orchids is that they are only for the hands of the more experienced gardener and that anyone can take care of them. Orchids can be grown by anyone, even those with absolutely no knowledge of gardening!
There are two types of orchids, the dioecious orchid and the monoecious orchid. The dioecious plant consists of a single flower head which has two or more stalks. These plants are naturally found in nature, growing as trees and hanging from the branches of tall trees. A monoecious plant is a species which produces both flowers and stalks.
Most orchids will produce both male and female flowers on different shoots. A monoecious plant will produce a single flower and possibly two or three, if the plants are very large or have very large and mature blooms. The two or three female flowers will usually be on the same shoot or group of shoots. The two or three male flowers will grow on different shoots or branches of the same orchid plant.
A common myth that you may find to be true is that the reason why some orchids do not flower or produce any flowers or blooms on their own is because they are sterile. If you were asked “are orchids man made”, the first thing that you would say would be “no”. This statement is false. All orchids are made up of living matter such as algae, bacteria, and spores that are present in the roots, bark, leaves, and stems. All orchids are capable of reproduction, even the most supposedly “virgin” species.
Most orchids are able to reproduce by budding, a division of a cell, or part of a cell into two or more. When these cells are combined, the plant cells fuse and divide once again to form new plants. This is the basic way that plants reproduce. The creation of orchid plants out of cloned seeds is different than the way that DNA is passed on from one generation to another in a human family.
Many people believe that the orchid was accidentally created in some laboratory. Some even believe that it was artificially inseminated from Asian stock. This could not be further from the truth as there has been extensive research on the topic. Modern science has found that orchids do not come from any kind of fertilization, so it can not have been artificially inseminated. Modern science states that orchids are actually natives of the earth’s surface who adapted by means of natural selection over thousands of years to thrive in dry, warm, and hot climates.
So, the next question is, where did orchids man made. A good place to begin the search for where orchids originated is by looking to the orchid’s closest living relative. It is the orchid, you might say, that is the direct descendants of the orchid plant that was the first one planted in a garden. This is because the orchid is the easiest to work with when it comes to cultivation.
Modern orchids are still largely wild, unlike their cousins from the ground like the Ficus or the Paphiopedilum. However, cultivation techniques have been developed that allow for the creation of beautiful, complex orchids that are now being enjoyed all around the world. So, the next time you view orchids in your garden, realize that they are man made, not natural. But if you are a true orchid aficionado, you will enjoy them regardless.