Another orchid species, the oncidiums of South America, attract bees by a process botanists call pseudoantagonism. That is, parts of the plant resemble an enemy insect and the bee attacks it to try and drive it away. Orchids are not merely just attractive to look at. The cooking flavouring vanilla comes from several species of vanilla orchid which grows throughout the tropics. Many orchids are used in folk or herbal remedies for ailments such as fish poisoning to boils.
All orchids have two names.
The first name is called the genus name and refers to the large subfamily within the Orchidaceae which a particular species belongs to. The second name refers to the particular species. Growing orchids used to be just for the very rich. Wealthy collectors sent their orchid hunters to all corners of the globe in the search for rare or interesting species. Orchids are now cloned by orchid breeders who take a few cells from root tips and grow them in specially prepared laboratory conditions.