Our children and theirs will unfortunately have to rely on photos to see the beauty of the Peruvian orchid, due to uncontrolable pilfering. For this reason aphrodisiac qualities were attributed to the plant. Orchids were highly appreciated by Pre-Inca cultures as well as by the Inca civilization itself, as is described in ancient records. According to botanists, the orchid family is the most evolved of all plant groups. Orchids roots are covered by a special white-colored tissue of spongy texture called the velamen, which enables the absorption of water and nutrients.
Leaves are usually of a leather-like texture.
Another characteristic is the pseudo-bulb, but it may be absent in other genus. Flower Morphology Orchids contain three sepals and three petals. One petal is different from the other two and is called the labellum or lip. The combination of all of these is known as the pollinarium. In some cases, one of the appendages is missing.