Where do tropical orchids grow ?
Tropical orchids are found everywhere around the world, each species adapted to life in a variety of climatic conditions. Orchids most often grow in tropical forests, but they can be found as far as the Arctic Circle.
How orchids grow in rainforest ?
Orchid in rainforests grow anchored to tree. This is their natural way of growing. When you grow orchids at home you plant them in pots or soil with plenty of light.
Where do tropical Orchids grow?
In rainforest not much light get to the bottom, so orchids developed a strategy to survive. They grow on trees and “travel” upwards with growing tree.
Without access to soil, orchids get nutrients from air, rain and debris around it. This type of plant is called Epiphyte. Rainforest provide nutrient rich environment.
Everyday rain waters ground below. Warmth of the ground turns water into fog rich in microelements and other nutrients. Then, due to temperature difference, fog travels higher and higher. On it’s way up it moistures every plant it encounters including orchids.
How orchids propagate in rainforest ?
Orchids growing on a tree don’t have much option to propagate. Seeds, which fall on the ground will never turn into plant, due to lack of sun.
Orchids in rainforest rely on wind and fog to propagate. Seeds are microscopic, dust like and one capsule can contain million of seeds. When capsule bursts and seeds are released, they need a way to travel to new place, that’s where wind and fog comes handy.
Most orchid seeds must come into symbiotic relations with various mycorrhizae fungi. This relation is required to provide seed with nutrients. However, the chance to find suitable fungi is slim, so only handful seeds ever germinate.
What are enemies of orchids in rainforest?
Orchids have many enemies in natural habitat. To name few:
- slugs and snails
- weevils
- mealybug, aphids,
- spider mite
- common scale
- viruses
Slugs and snails will eat leaves, stems, bulbs and flowers. Mealybugs, aphids, spider mites would suck nutrients from leaves causing plant to die. Some species of parrot may be nesting close to orchids. Therefore plant can get damaged or even killed by birds.
Orchids are one of the most tasty food for Iguanas. They’re rich in nutrients, minerals and water.
How do orchids adapt to the tropical rainforest ?
Over many years orchids evolved so they could survive in rainforest. Due to lack of sunlight at the bottom of the forest orchids adapted to grow on trees trunk. Thanks to this evolutionary masterpiece, they can get much needed sunlight, while travelling upwards with growing tree.
In addition, to growing higher on the trees, their “propagation spread” range is bigger. Their seeds can travel further away, than orchids growing on the ground.
