Did you know that the demanding indoor plant orchid grows on trees in the wild?

What are the natural conditions of the capricious orchid?

For example, there are wild orchid gardens in Mexico, where we believe that the capricious and demanding plant simply grows on trees. In Colombia, Ecuador, Brazil or Mexico, orchids grow on almost every tree in the yard. What is natural there is a wonder to us.

Video wild orchid garden in a Mexican resort.

What is an orchid?

An orchid is an epiphyte. Epiphytes obtain moisture and nutrients from the air and rain, sometimes also from the accumulated garbage around them. Sometimes such plants are called air plants because they do not form roots in the soil. Epiphytic organisms only receive support from the host; they are usually not parasites.

Interesting facts about orchids:

• Orchids are a large family of flowering plants – Orchidaceae.
• There are 22,000 to 26,000 species in 880 genera. They make up 6-11% of all seed plants. Orchids are found in almost every country in the world except Antarctica.
• Some orchids have very specific methods of pollination. For example, there are orchids that trap insects and make them pollinate the flower. Another example is Austrian orchids, which grow underground and are pollinated by ants.
• Many orchids are mycoheterotrophs: their roots need fungi to break down the organic matter they can absorb.
• Colombia and Ecuador have many different species. There are more than 1,500 species in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest. Other places with great diversity are the mountains of the southern Himalayas in India and China. There are also various species in the mountains of Central America and southeastern Africa, especially on the island of Madagascar.
• Ecuador has 3,459 species, the highest number of recorded species. Ecuador is followed by Colombia with 2,723 species. Colombia is followed by New Guinea with 2,717 species and Brazil with a total of 2,590 species.

Source: alegsaonline.com

In warm areas where there is a lot of grass, or where there are dry savannahs and rocky fields, orchids grow in the ground. They have strong underground roots and sometimes have tubers to help protect against cold or snow. Cylinders also help protect against prolonged drought or fire. If the roots were not protected, the cold would freeze them to store the nutrients they need to bloom in the spring.

Wild orchids