Of the incredible variety of flowering plants on our earth, orchids easily exert the greatest fascination. Not only are they aesthetically pleasing, but their life stories often have a bit of mystery and wonder clinging to them. Although widely distributed, many can only be found in isolated, nearly inaccessible places–volcanic mountainsides, misty jungles, boggy swamps, etc.

Beginning in earnest in the nineteenth century, orchid fanciers have devoted years and lifetimes to discovering as well as cultivating new varieties of these flowering delights. Although most orchids are obtained these days from nurseries that specialize in cultivating these plants, many of them being produced through hybridization, it is helpful to know something of their natural origins.

Orchids are herbacious plants of which tens of thousands of species are known, with more still being discovered.  They exhibit a startling range of color and form, which has contributed greatly to public interest. Master gardeners often delight in growing a wide range of orchids to demonstrate their mastery of the arts of cultivation.

Orchids have spread throughout the world, excep for the polar and desert zones. Some 85% of all orchid species originate in the tropics or subtropics, but this still leaves a large number that come from colder regions. In some parts of the Himalayas orchids constitute the most abundantly represented family of plants in terms of sheer number of species.

By far the greatest number of orchids occur in three large tropical belts:

  • Tropical Africa (including islands to the east in the Indian Ocean). These largely belong to the genera (families) Angnecum, Bulbophyllum and Disa. Orchids from here have not been as widely cultivated as ones originating from the other tropical zones, but Africa nevertheless boats many species of interest.
  • Tropical Asia. This region, which covers Indonesia and other islands, along with mainland Southeast Asia, is particularly rich in orchid genera. Typical of the region are the large genera Dendrobium, Eria and Bulbophyllum and many smaller ones as well.
  • Tropical America. The region is made up of Mexico, the Central American nations, and the tropical part of South America. Isolated from other parts of the world for eons, this region has an especially large number of endemic genera of orchids, many of which include hundreds of species. Among the large indigenous genera are Epidendrum, Pleurothallis and Oncidium; many smaller genera found here also contribute more than their share to orchids that have found favor among cultivators the world over.

The temperate zones of the southern hemisphere also furnish many orchids, though not nearly so abundantly as do the tropics. In southern Africa the Disa and Calanthe genera furnish a few species judged valuable to cultivation. Australia contains many genera in common with the tropical Asia. Southernmost South America boasts many temperate-zone orchids, but they are unfortunately overshadowed by those
from the vaster tropical-zone part of the continent.

in the norhern hemisphere’s temperate areas, we should take note of the United States, particularly the New England/norhteastern region, as well as Canada. There you will find some 20 native genera, whose members grow particularly in swamps and other moist grounds. The most famous of these are the Cypripediuins or Lady Slippers.

Europe also has many native orchids, but undoubtedly the most famous and showy is the Bee Orchid (Ophrys apifera). The Bee Orchid may be found thriving on dry or semi-dry turf in open areas near or within woodlands. Bee Orchids are common near the Mediterranean coast of Europe, and grows (albeit less abundantly) as far north as Germany and the UK.

Orchids differ greatly from one another as far as ease of cultivating, but most of them are not the difficult plants that common wisdom would have it. The most up-to-date guide to modern orchid care, in my opinion, is Orchid Care Expert by Nigel Howard, which is available to be downloaded from the Internet. Mr. Howard’s guide is a full course in itself, suitable for novices as well as those more experienced. Also, check out the Orchid Secrets web site, which has a growing database of information on many topics of orchid cultivation.