Orchid

Orchids, also known as Orchidaceae, are one of the most beautiful flowers around due to their large, long-lasting blooms and crisp colors. They can... more

by Karen Regan

Title

Orchid

Artist

Karen Regan

Medium

Photograph

Description

Orchids, also known as Orchidaceae, are one of the most beautiful flowers around due to their large, long-lasting blooms and crisp colors. They can be found in white, pink, magenta, purple and yellow hues. Orchids symbolize fertility, elegance and love. For this reason, they are often given as gifts for new parents.
Orchids have some unique features which help them in the evolutionary race. They produce masses of pollen (which improves the chances of pollination), very light seeds (which makes them easier to spread) and can grow on other plants using them to support their own growth
Orchids come in a host of colors and sizes. The exact appearance of an orchid flower depends on the specific species. Despite the plant's variations, there are some characteristics that they have in common. These characteristics include three petals, and three sepals that can easily be mistaken for petals. Orchids also have a waxy tube-like structure that is known as a column. The column is a fusion of the plants male and female organs. Orchids also have a single lip that extends which is called a labellum. This petal serves as a landing pad for bees and other pollinators and can vary in appearance depending on the particular orchid type. A majority of orchids also go through resupination, a process in which the lip starts at the top of the flower and moves downward as it matures. Another common characteristic of this type of flower is that it is bilaterally symmetrical.

Uploaded

May 8th, 2020