Our Phalaenopsis orchids are 30 inches tall, including the pot. The orchid flowers have 3 long stems, tied to sticks to keep them upright. There are several yellow green colored flowers and buds on each artificial orchids stem. The orchid flower arrangement has broad leathery leaves and tuberous roots. The pots are made of lightweight resin and are designed to look like stone.
Orchids are an extremely large family of plants, many of which bear beautiful flowers. There are over 20,000 species of orchids. They are widely cultivated for the home, garden, and as greenhouse plants. Orchids are perennials, which means they can live for as much as three years. Orchids range in size from ¼ inch high to vines as much as 100 feet long. The flowers come in all colors and may even be speckled or streaked.
Wild orchids grow in almost all parts of the world. They are most abundant in tropical regions that receive plenty of rainfall. Most of these orchid species grow on the trunks or branches of trees, or on rocks. They send their roots into the air and take their food directly from the air. Orchids of temperate regions grow from the ground. Their seeds are brown and as small as the finest grains of dust.
There are many unusual forms of orchids. The blossoms of one look like butterflies. Another was thought to be sacred by the early Spaniards. They thought it looked like the Holy Dove that rested on Christ’s shoulder after he was baptized. They called it the Holy Ghost Flower. Another species of orchid furnishes vanilla. This vine like vanilla orchid grows in Mexico and throughout the tropics. Vanilla occurs naturally in these orchids.
Orchids sold by florists are among the rarest and most expensive cut flowers. They are raised in hothouses and are valued for their color and form. These species are mostly from tropical areas of the Americas, India and Australia.
Phalaenopsis orchids are the easiest and most rewarding of all the species for the home grower as they produce arching spikes of ten or more flowers as often as three times a year. The flowers appear on a spike from the stem between the leaves and, depending on the type, there may be anything from a single flower to over a hundred.
In nature there are just under 50 wild species of Phalaenopsis orchids, which are found from India eastwards through the Philippines and into Northern Australia.
The name Phalaenopsis, pronounced fal-ee-nop-sis, is from the Greek word meaning moth like. The plants are shade loving and grow on branches, or rocks, where the air is warm and moist.
Phalaenopsis orchids do not have pseudo bulbs, the strength of the plant is in its large, leathery
leaves and thick, tuberous roots. New leaves appear slowly and regularly over each other and are generally a deep green but can, occasionally, be mottled.