News tagged with orchids
The evolution of orchids
(PhysOrg.com) -- Charles Darwin and many other scientists have long been puzzled by the evolution of orchids, the largest and most diverse family of flowering plants on Earth. Now genetic sequencing is giving ...
Nov 19, 2009 |
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Common orchid gives scientists hope in face of climate change
A study led by scientists from the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew's Jodrell Laboratory, which focuses on epigenetics in European common marsh orchids, has revealed that some plants may be able to adapt more quickly to environmental ...
Aug 10, 2010 |
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Ecologists find new clues on climate change in 150-year-old pressed plants
Plants picked up to 150 years ago by Victorian collectors and held by the million in herbarium collections across the world could become a powerful - and much needed - new source of data for studying climate ...
Sep 22, 2010 |
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First known night-flowering orchid discovered
Botanists have discovered the first known species of orchid that flowers at night, London's Kew Gardens announced on Tuesday.
Nov 22, 2011 |
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Western Australia's incredible underground orchid
Rhizanthella gardneri is a cute, quirky and critically endangered orchid that lives all its life underground. It even blooms underground, making it virtually unique amongst plants.
Feb 08, 2011 |
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New research explains orchids' sexual trickery
A new study reveals the reason why orchids use sexual trickery to lure insect pollinators. The study, published in the January issue of The American Naturalist, finds that sexual deception in orchids leads to a more effici ...
Dec 17, 2009 |
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Trading energy for safety, bees extend legs to stay stable in wind
New research shows some bees brace themselves against wind and turbulence by extending their sturdy hind legs while flying. But this approach comes at a steep cost, increasing aerodynamic drag and the power ...
Jun 02, 2009 |
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Orchids and fungi -- partners for life
Three Thai orchids have been found to rely on a wide range of fungi to help them take carbon out of the soil instead of producing their own organic carbon. A detailed study of the relationship, published in ...
Aug 13, 2009 |
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First radio tracking of tropical orchid bees
Blue-green orchid bees zip through increasingly scarce patches of tropical forest pollinating rare flowers. For the first time, researchers at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute track unique signals ...
May 26, 2010 |
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Orchid wears the scent of death
Sex and violence, or at least death, are the key to reproduction for the orchid Satyrium pumilum. Research led by Timotheüs van der Niet at the University of KwaZulu-Natal shows that the orchid lures ...
Mar 14, 2011 |
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Bees outpace orchids in evolution
(PhysOrg.com) -- Orchid bees aren’t so dependent on orchids after all, according to a new study that challenges the prevailing view of how plants and their insect pollinators evolve together.
Sep 23, 2011 |
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Fungi-filled forests are critical for endangered orchids
When it comes to conserving the world's orchids, not all forests are equal. In a paper to be published Jan. 25 in the journal Molecular Ecology, Smithsonian ecologists revealed that an orchid's fate hinges ...
Jan 24, 2012 |
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Breeding orchid species creates a new perfume
Some orchids mimic the scent of a female insect in order to attract males for pollination. Researchers writing in the open access journal BMC Evolutionary Biology found that breeding two of these orchid specie ...
Apr 21, 2010 |
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Sub-zero seed freezes aim to save orchids from extinction
Scientists from around the world gathered in Costa Rica this month to exchange ideas on ways to make sure orchids, among the world's most popular flowers, will still be around for the next generation to enjoy.
Sep 20, 2010 |
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'Orchid children' bloom, wither in response to surroundings
(PhysOrg.com) -- A UA-led study backs evidence that some children are more susceptible to adverse environmental factors than others. So-called "orchid children" bloom spectacularly in positive environments but often are at ...
Medicine & Health / Psychology & Psychiatry
Jan 31, 2011 |
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Orchidaceae
The Orchidaceae, commonly referred to as the orchid family, is a morphologically diverse and widespread family of monocots in the order Asparagales. Along with the Asteraceae, it is one of the two largest families of flowering plants, with between 21,950 and 26,049 currently accepted species, found in 880 genera. Selecting which of the two families is larger remains elusive because of the difficulties associated with putting hard species numbers on such enormous groups. Regardless, the number of orchid species equals more than twice the number of bird species, and about four times the number of mammal species. It also encompasses about 6–11% of all seed plants. The largest genera are Bulbophyllum (2,000 species), Epidendrum (1,500 species), Dendrobium (1,400 species) and Pleurothallis (1,000 species).
The family also includes Vanilla (the genus of the vanilla plant), Orchis (type genus), and many commonly cultivated plants such as Phalaenopsis and Cattleya. Moreover, since the introduction of tropical species in the 19th century, horticulturists have produced more than 100,000 hybrids and cultivars.
For more information about Orchidaceae, read the full article at
Wikipedia.
This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.
