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habitat:
epiphytes & lithophytes
Majority of the orchids however are epiphytes and
they are congested into sub-families Epidendroideae
and Vandoideae. It is difficult to separate
lithophytes from epiphytes because the difference is
only the substrate on which they adhere to. On many
accounts, epiphytes can be lithophytes too under the
right condition. Some epiphytes, for instance from
the genus Coelogyne can be terrestrial too,
especially after the branch on which they
are adhered to becomes unable to support their weight, break and
fall onto the ground. In this context however, the
orchids are growing on soil organic surface as
adherence substrate rather than its root penetrating
the soil. Hardy as some Coelogyne can be, their
flowers in contrast are some of the most beautiful,
gregarious and softly textured, usually accompanied
with sweet scent. Some orchids however have
preference for rock surface as substrate, such as
the Porpax elwesii that may be considered as
true lithophytes.
Other pretty epiphytes are endless list of Eria,
Dendrobium and Bulbophyllum that form the largest
sub-family of all, the Epidendroideae. Species from
these genus come with ecstatic value, the latter
especially noted for its strange architecture, such
as similarity to cat whiskers, old man’s beard and other indescribable and unimaginable
features. Not only they
look 'unique', some are smelly too! Dendrobium
has
given rise to countless beautiful hybrids as they are
hardy and easy to cultivate.
Epiphytes in Vandoideae cover all extremes. Here we
have the largest orchid in the world,
Grammatophyllum speciosum, commonly called the
‘tiger orchid'. On the other extreme, Chiloschista has very small leaves of few
millimeters, but Taeniophyllum has none, making it
possibly the smallest orchid in the world.
Photosynthesis is taken over by the chlorophyllous
roots instead. Here we also have the very famous and
hardy Vanda and its allies Arachnis,
Ascocentrum,
Renanthera and Papilionanthe that give rise to some
of the most dazzling display of colors, shapes and
sizes. The ‘foxtails’ or Aerides are popular for
breeding hybrids for its color and fragrance. The short stemmed and broad leafed elegant
Phalaenopsis
are also very popular in cultivation and
breeding program for its flowers’ delicate texture,
shape, color, fragrance and floriferous nature.
Others in the sub-family are exotic. |
