Orchids Through Darwin's Eyes

npr.org ^ | February 22, 2009 | Kathryn Dalrymple

[JoeProBono]

Orchids. These brilliant, flashy, sensual, and sometimes graphic flowers fascinated Charles Darwin. In his book, On The Various Contrivances By Which British and Foreign Orchids are Fertilised By Insects, he wrote:

"In my examination of Orchids, hardly any fact has so much struck me as the endless diversity of structure ... for gaining the very same end, namely, the fertilisation of one flower by the pollen of another."

To Darwin, orchids were vivid examples of natural selection and of mechanisms that develop over generations to best ensure the perpetuation of the species. This year the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History has made Darwin's interest in the flowers the theme of their annual orchid exhibition.

Host Liane Hansen takes a tour of "Orchids through Darwin's Eyes."

[JoeProBono]

[JoeProBono]

[JoeProBono]

[JoeProBono]

[Cacique]

OBAMA's flower

[Bon mots]

You can grow orchids in your garden. I do.

I have 5 varieties of orchids that come up every year and survive harsh winters. (Zone5-6)

Spring Sales are now open at "Vermont Lady Slipper", the place where I ordered two of mine.

Vermont Lady Slipper

That's right, lady slippers that you used to see in the forests of America are terrestrial orchids. They need some 17 years before they flower, and are hard to germinate, but the biologists who run "Vermont Lady Slipper" breed them 'in-vitro' and have sped up the process to 5-6 years.

There are other orchids that are not so rare, like Dactylorhiza - they look like Hyacinths...

Anyway, I love when my orchids come up. You will too. Send an email to the very nice folks at Vermont Lady Slipper as you can only get them two times per year... they are open for shipping now for the spring! :)

Cypripedium (Lady Slipper Orchid)

[JoeProBono]

[Bon mots]

I should note that you should NEVER dig up wild orchids, as they DO NOT LIKE TO BE MOVED AND WILL DIE!

Just buy them from biologists who breed them and support their craft.

[Bon mots]

Hey Joe,
Do you grow orchids in your garden?
Did you know that you could? A lot of people don’t know that you can even grow orchids in Alaska! :)

I get a big kick out of mine when they come up.
It almost seems like they shouldn’t be there.

[Daffynition]

Have you been to Longwood Conservatory in the winter and taken in their Orchid Extravaganza? One of the ways to survive the seemingly endless winter!

[JoeProBono]

Could Be Me In Blue Sweatshirt

[LiteKeeper]

INTREP

[JoeProBono]

My Garden

[Daffynition]

Does that mean you’ve been to Longwood, or that you just own a blue sweatshirt?

[aruanan]

I think orchids are the most widespread flower.

[JoeProBono]

I used to live there, so to speak. My favorites:

[freekitty]

Cymbidians are terrestiral also. They do need shade. Santa Barbara CA is the best place to grow them.

I have grown orchids for over 30 years.

[freekitty]

Also orchids are not parasitic.

[JoeProBono]

[gorush]