Orchid
by Dr. Rosie Webb
There are
football fanatics, twitchers, and then - - - there
are orchid extremists. You are strongly advised to
avoid the following article; orchids can take over
your life, your house, your overdraft, dare I say
it, your sanity. The reaction when listening to certain
devotees enthusing about orchids is to look round
for the accompanying nurse, or anyone in a white coat.
Rosie
used to be a lecturer in Art and Design. Nowadays,
she gives talks on the two huge subjects of Orchids
and Fungi, writes on the subjects and appears on our
screens. We share the same garden birds, as Rosie
is fortunate enough to reside 2 streets away here
on sunny Hayling, and we know that birds who frequent
my communal grounds, also moonlight in her garden,
which yes, does have orchids.
As Rosie
suggests, we do have exotic species here in Britain,
they should never be picked, leave them so all can
appreciate their beauty and wonders; the conditions
have to be so precise, it is impossible to replicate.
Sometimes if an area of garden is left to itself,
orchids may appear of their own accord.
They
are the most glamorous of plants, and the more that
is learned the more mysterious they become. Although
it has to be said, we once spent hours searching for
the exotically named Frog Orchid. When finally a specimen
was traced, tears welled up in my eyes, a rivulet
fell daintily from the cheek. The disappointment after
Bee Orchids was palpable. I half-expected this orchid
to resemble a frog, maybe even croak every so often,
or flash forth a tongue, instead, it was a rather
insignificant little brown job. Mysteriously, it gave
unparalleled pleasure to the orchid addicts.
Here
at Hayling in late spring we have several thousand
Green-winged Orchids (they are actually purple
with a few white varieties!) in flower along
the south-western shingle and organised walks
are taken along here by local wildlife groups. |
|
ORCHIDS
Orchids
belong to one of the largest families of flowering
plants in the world. They are considered by many people
to be something very special. We think of them as
exotic, rare, sexy, curious and very precious. They
are renowned for their beauty and complexity. Plant
hunters, especially in the nineteenth century, searched
the tropical world for new species and huge sums of
money were paid for plants by collectors. To grow
them was seen as a worthy challenge and the flowers
were considered as the epitome of glamour and expense.
This also contributed to the serious decline of many
species.
Orchids
are found in nearly every climate region except permanent
ice and total desert. Fascination with orchids continues
today but fortunately most people now prefer to see
plants in their natural setting. Most countries have
laws to protect them which are strictly enforced.
Even so, many species are in danger of extinction
because of thoughtless and selfish acts of theft,
intensification of agriculture and loss of habitat.
Our rarities are still under threat, there are still
unscrupulous collectors.
It
comes as a surprise for many people to find that we
have more than fifty species of orchid in Britain.
All European orchids are terrestrial and individual
species have fascinating and very specific requirements
in terms of habitat and relationship with their surroundings,
in order to grow. In Britain, areas of chalk and limestone
support the largest number of species, in open grasslands
and woodlands. They are also found in wet meadows,
marshes, bogs and dune-slacks. Some favour previously
disturbed land such as roadside edges and derelict
land. They depend on poor soils, without the use of
fertilizers and insecticides, to flourish.
There is
no family of plants which can compare with orchids
in the sheer diversity, structure and form of the
flowers. Unlike other plants the male and female parts
of the flower are not separate but are fused together
into a single structure. The pollen is formed into
two club-shaped structures called pollinia.
The
flower is made up of three petals and three sepals
(which look like petals but are actually the protective
covering of the flower, when in bud). One of the petals
is usually very different from the others. It is often
large, brightly coloured, patterned and its shape
can be complicated, even strange. It is know as the
lip (or labellum) and acts as an attraction, as a
landing stage or as a guide to pollinating insects.
Orchid
flowers have evolved a variety of mechanisms to attract
pollinating insects. Some are brightly coloured with
complex patterns or shiny patches, some are perfumed,
some reward their insects with nectar. Some give the
promise of nectar but have none, so deceiving the
insects who benefit the orchid by pollinating it but
receiving nothing in return. Plants such as the fly
and spider orchids have even more amazing strategy.
The lip of the flower looks like a small be or wasp
and exploit the reproductive activity of the insects.
The flowers give chemical signals which mimic pheromones
produced by the female insects and stimulate mating
behaviour in the mates. In the attempt to mate with
the orchid, pollinia stick to the insect and are then
transferred to the stigma of the next flower that
the insect visits.
Orchid
seeds are tiny, dust like and have virtually no food
reserves to nourish the developing embryo. The seeds
float easily on the wind and sites where the seeds
fall must have specific conditions for them to germinate.
They must have the right conditions of light, moisture
and warmth and the tiny plantlet must become infected
by a mycorrhiza association with a fungus web in the
soil. This allows the orchid plant to grow. If any
of these conditions are missing, the plant will fail
to thrive. The development of the orchid plant, until
it reaches maturity, is slow and whereas some species
can reach flowering in three years or so, there are
some which can take about fifteen years until they
reach the flowering stage. These factors are the major
reasons while people should never dig up plants because
they will almost certainly die if planted elsewhere.
A few of our native orchids rely on their fungal partnership
throughout their life. For example, the curious brown
birds nest orchid has now green pigment (chlorophyll)
and derives all its food from organic material in
the soil through its mass of fleshy roots which are
heavily invaded with the fungus.
Our
native orchids may not be the large, colourful, flamboyant
flowers that one associates with the tropics or florist
hybrids but they are absolutely as interesting and
beautiful. One just needs to look at them closely
to see the amazing diversity of colour, shape and
form. Individual flowers can resemble tiny insects,
animals, reptiles or little human figures amongst
others and deserve our attention. One has to see,
not merely look, to appreciate their true beauty.
There are no other flowers quite like them and we
should do all whatever we can to ensure that they
continue to flourish and be there for future generations
to see. They deserve our up most respect.
Books
on British Orchids:
2004
– Britain’s Orchids. David Lang. ISBN
1 – 903657 – 06 – 7 Wild guides.
2005
– Orchids of Britain and Ireland. A field and
site Guide. Anne and Simon Harrap. ISBN 0 –
7136 – 6956 – X A & C Black Publishers
LTD
2006
– Orchids of the British Isles – Michael
Foley and Sidney Clarke. ISBN 0954191617. Griffin
Press.
Dr.
ROSIE WEBB, HAYLING ISLAND
To
contact Rosie for a slide-show talk please get in
touch with Hampshire Wildlife Trust
www.hwt.org.uk/
01489 774 400
More
information: www.orchid.org.uk/
Back
to Articles
