Plant: Orchid 蘭花

Orchids are plants that belong to the family Orchidaceae wich is one of the two largest families of flowering plants with blooms that are often colourful and fragrant about 28,000 species. Orchids are cosmopolitan plants that are found in almost every habitat on Earth except glaciers. The world's richest diversity of orchid genera and species is found in the tropics. I love orchids very much. Since there are so many kinds, I don’t know the names of most of them. I will collect the photos first and then study them later.
蘭花是屬於蘭科的植物,蘭科是開花植物的兩個最大科之一,其花朵通常色彩繽紛、芳香四溢,約有 28,000 種。蘭花是世界性植物,除冰川外,幾乎在地球上的每個棲息地都有蘭花。世界上蘭花屬和物種最豐富的多樣性存在於熱帶地區 (通常叫做洋蘭)。我很愛蘭花,由於種類繁多,大部分我都不知其名,先把照片收集起來,以後再慢慢研究。

Cymbidium, boat orchids 蕙蘭

Cypripedioideae 、Lady slipper orchids 拖鞋蘭 (It includes the genera Cypripedium 杓蘭屬, Mexipedium 彎瓣兜蘭屬, Paphiopedilum 拖鞋蘭, Phragmipedium 美洲兜蘭屬 and Selenipedium 璧月蘭屬.)

Laelia anceps 雙稜蕾麗亞蘭 (found in Mexico and Guatemala)

Phalaenopsis、Moth Orchid 蝴蝶蘭 (native to India, Taiwan, China, Southeast Asia, New Guinea and Australia with the majority in Indonesia and the Philippines.)

Other

Notes 筆記

  • Orchids are plants that belong to the family Orchidaceae wich is one of the two largest families of flowering plants with blooms that are often colourful and fragrant about 28,000 species. Orchids are cosmopolitan plants that are found in almost every habitat on Earth except glaciers. The world's richest diversity of orchid genera and species is found in the tropics.
  • The largest genera are Bulbophyllum (2,000 species), Epidendrum (1,500 species), Dendrobium (1,400 species) and Pleurothallis (1,000 species).
  • The word orchid is derived from the Greek word (orchis) for testicle because of the shape of the root tubers in some species of the genus Orchis.
  • All orchids are perennial herbs. They are generally terrestrial or epiphytic herbs. Those attached to other plants often are vine like and have a spongy root covering called the velamen that absorbs water from the surrounding air.
  • Orchid flowers vary tremendously in size from the minute flowers of some species of the genus Pleurothallis, which are no more than about 2 mm (0.1 inch) in diameter, to the large ones of Brassia, which may be more than 38 cm (15 inches) from the tips of the lateral sepals (petallike structures) to the tip of the dorsal sepal.
  • Genetic sequencing indicates orchids may have arisen 76 to 84 million years ago.
  • Orchid can be used in Perfumery. The scent of orchids is frequently analysed by perfumers to identify potential fragrance chemicals.
  • The other important use of orchids is their cultivation for the enjoyment of the flowers in Horticulture. New orchids are registered with the International Orchid Register, maintained by the Royal Horticultural Society.
  • The dried seed pods of one orchid genus, Vanilla (especially Vanilla planifolia), are commercially important as a flavouring in baking, for perfume manufacture and aromatherapy. The underground tubers of terrestrial orchids [mainly Orchis mascula (early purple orchid)] are ground to a powder and used for cooking, such as in the hot beverage salep or in the Turkish mastic ice cream dondurma. The dried leaves of Jumellea fragrans are used to flavour rum on Reunion Island. Some saprophytic orchid species of the group Gastrodia produce potato-like tubers and were consumed as food by native peoples in Australia and can be successfully cultivated, notably Gastrodia sesamoides.
  • Cattleya mossiae is the national Venezuelan flower, while Cattleya trianae is the national flower of Colombia. Vanda Miss Joaquim is the national flower of Singapore, Guarianthe skinneri is the national flower of Costa Rica and Rhyncholaelia digbyana is the national flower of Honduras. Prosthechea cochleata is the national flower of Belize, where it is known as the black orchid. Lycaste skinneri has a white variety (alba) that is the national flower of Guatemala, commonly known as Monja Blanca (White Nun). Panama's national flower is the Holy Ghost orchid (Peristeria elata), or 'the flor del Espiritu Santo'.
  • 蘭花是屬於蘭科的植物,蘭科是開花植物的兩個最大科之一,其花朵通常色彩繽紛、芳香四溢,約有 28,000 種。蘭花是世界性植物,除冰川外,幾乎在地球上的每個棲息地都有蘭花。世界上蘭花屬和物種最豐富的多樣性存在於熱帶地區 (通常叫做洋蘭)。
  • 最大的屬是石豆蕙蘭屬(Bulbophyllum)(約2000種),然後依序為樹蕙蘭屬(Epidendrum)(約1500種),石斛蘭屬(Dendrobium)(約1400種)和腋花蕙蘭屬(Pleurothallis)(約1000種)。
  • 蘭花一詞源自希臘文(orchis),意為睪丸,因為蘭屬某些物種的塊根形狀。
  • 所有蘭花都是多年生草本植物。它們通常是陸生或附生草本植物。那些附著在其他植物上的植物通常呈藤蔓狀,並有一個海綿狀的根部覆蓋物,稱為根被,可以從周圍空氣中吸收水分。
  • 蘭花的花朵大小差異很大,從腋花蘭某些物種的微小花朵,直徑不超過約 2 公釐(0.1 英寸),到蕓薹屬的大花朵,直徑可能超過 38 公分(15 英寸) )從側萼片(花瓣狀結構)的尖端到背側萼片的尖端。
  • 基因定序顯示蘭花可能出現在 7,600 至 8,400 萬年前。
  • 蘭花可用於香水製造。調香師經常分析蘭花的氣味,以識別潛在的香料化學物質。
  • 蘭花的另一個重要用途是在園藝中為了欣賞花朵而進行栽培。新的蘭花在由皇家園藝學會維護的國際蘭花名錄中註冊。
  • 一種蘭花屬香草的乾燥種子莢,作為烘焙香料、香水製造和芳香療法具有重要的商業價值。陸生蘭花的地下塊莖 [主要是 Orchis mascula(早期紫色蘭花)] 被磨成粉末並用於烹飪,例如用於熱飲料蘭莖奶 (salep) 或土耳其乳香冰淇淋咚哆瑪 (dondurma)。留尼旺島的矛唇蘭 (Jumellea) 香葉用來調味蘭姆酒。天麻屬/赤箭屬的一些腐生蘭花品種產生類似馬鈴薯的塊莖,被澳洲原住民作為食物食用,並且可以成功種植,特別是天麻。
  • 摩斯嘉德麗亞蘭 (Cattleya mossiae) 是委內瑞拉的國花,崔納嘉德麗亞蘭 (Cattleya trianae) 是哥倫比亞的國花,卓錦萬代蘭 (Vanda Miss Joaquim) 是新加坡的國花,斯金納葛麗亞蘭 (Guarianthe skinneri) 是哥斯大黎加的國花,迪格喙蕾蘭 (Rhyncholaelia digbyana) 是宏都拉斯的國花。 章魚蘭 (Prosthechea cochleata) 是伯利茲/貝里斯的國花,在那裡被稱為黑蘭花,斯金納捧心蘭 (Lycaste Skinneri) 有一種白色品種(alba),是瓜地馬拉的國花,俗稱白花修女蘭 Monja Blanca(白修女),巴拿馬的國花是聖靈蘭/鴿子蘭(Peristeria elata)或 (the flor del Espiritu Santo)。

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References 參考資料