Flower Facts: All About Orchids

Orchids are both beautiful and mysterious and have a long history of being revered among flower enthusiasts, florists, and gardeners alike. There is more than meets the eye to this beauty as there isn’t a feature about this flower that isn’t unique or that holds some sort of surprise for admirers. Curious about this curious flower? Give Gift Boutique Hong Kong Florist has collaborated the most fascinating facts about orchids that will make you want to go out and admire one for yourself.

• Orchids were first cultivated over 3000 years ago in China.
• Orchids are the largest family of flowering plants with more 25,000 documented orchid species worldwide.
• It’s been estimated that orchids have been growing on Earth as far back as 76 to 84 million years ago.

An arrangement of two stem green orchids in a decorative ceramic planter.

• Orchids grow on every continent in the world except Antarctica.
• Orchids that live in dry climates have thick leaves covered with wax, while species that live in warm and humid areas have thin, elongated leaves. Certain species of orchids do not have leaves at all.
• Orchids have one of the tiniest seeds in the world and there can be up to 3 million seeds in a single orchid seedpod.

White and purple phaleanopsis orchids in beautiful arched flower display.

• Orchids can live on the ground (terrestrial forms), attached to woody plants or rocks (epiphytic types) or even under the ground. The majority of species are, however, epiphytic types.
• Orchids do not have classic root. They have rhizome, tuber or aerial roots.
• Orchid flowers are like a human face in that they are bilateral symmetric, which means that it can be divided in two equal parts.

A large flower arrangement of phalaenopsis orchids.

• In the wild an orchid can live to be up to 100 years old and even cultivated, orchids can live a long time if well cared for.
• Growing orchids requires patience as they take a very long time to sprout and grow. The first flowers of an orchid plant won’t appear until at least 5 to 7 years after germination. The plants that you see at flower shops are often a decade old.

A stylishly decorated three stem purple orchid arrangement.

• Platystele jungermannioides is the world’s smallest orchid flower measuring just half a millimeter (0.02 inches) . The tiny bloom was initially mistaken for a fungus before being examined under a microscope.
• Grammatophyllum speciosum, also called giant orchid, is the world’s largest orchid. It can grow to a length of 2.5 meters (8.2 feet) with gigantic clusters weighing from several hundred kilograms to more than one tonne.

Pink cymbidium flower vase arrangement.

• Vanilla beans actually come from an orchid called the vanilla orchid (vanilla planifolia). It is the only commercially grown orchid crop.
• About a third of orchid species deceive insects into pollinating them. The reproductive parts of many orchid flowers are shaped and colored to look like the kind of insect they hope to attract. Once the insect is interested, the orchid’s pollen sticks to the bug until it flies off to find another orchid that it mistakes for a mate.

An arrangement of purple and lilac dendrobium type orchids with Chinese New Year décor in a stylish ceramic planter.

• The Shenzhen Nongke Orchid is the most expensive flower ever sold. It was sold for $200,000 at auction in 2005.

Tell us why you love orchids! And while you’re at it, check out Give Gift Boutique Hong Kong’s excellent selection of gift orchids.