Chapter 1
The art of botanical catfishing
Chapter 2
Vanilla, the orchid in your kitchen
Chapter 3
Orchidelirium and the Victorian craze
Chapter 4
The ultimate botanical rule-breakers
Ch 4 · The ultimate botanical rule-breakers
misslily Darwin's Orchid Prediction
He saw a foot-long flower and knew a long-tongued moth was out there hiding!
misslily While apple and bean seeds carry endosperm, empty orchid seeds look like fine dust and float miles on the wind.
misslily Myco-heterotrophy provides the essential underground foster care that young seedlings require.
Fun Fact
Orchid diversity: There are over 25,000 species of orchids on Earth, which is more than double the number of bird species.
Glossary
resupination (noun)
The inversion of a flower or other plant part by a twisting of its stalk during growth. Some rare species bypass this 180-degree rotation entirely, blooming with their lips facing upward to attract pollinators.
The inversion of a flower or other plant part by a twisting of its stalk during growth. Some rare species bypass this 180-degree rotation entirely, blooming with their lips facing upward to attract pollinators.
Quiz
What critical component do orchid seeds completely lack compared to typical plant seeds?
Quiz
What term describes plants like orchids that grow on other plants without stealing their nutrients?
Quiz
What is the spongy, silvery-white root covering that helps tree-dwelling orchids absorb air moisture?
Quiz
In what year did Charles Darwin make his famous prediction about the star orchid's pollinator?