Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1885-10-31
PECULIARITIES OF ORCHIDS.
rhe Many Forms Assumed by tn
Plaintiffs Inner Development
From the N. Y. Tima.

late Mrs. Mary Morgan. great many absurd
and incorrect statements In regard to the pecu-
Iiirities OF these peculiar plants have gone the
rounds. In this case, however, as In many.
another. truth is stranger than fiction"
The general disposition to confound orchids
with pitcher piantS-two groups which have no
botanical affinity-must serve as an apology for
an explanation just here of what an orchid real.
~ Is There is such an Infinite variety In orcnid
tfowers-they 60 masQuerading In so many DIFF
ferent forms and assume SO many d1nerent
colors-that 1t Is difficult for casual observer
rare and curious plants. These flowers look like
lilies and hyacinths and cactuses. as well as
like birds and butterflies and bees; others re.
world.
tits not by mere similarity Of flower or leaf
nor by habit that plants are classified. The sub
Tie tie OF kinship lies deeper than this, and
shows itself in the inner life, in the mode of de-
velOpment from the seed to iull maturity, and
the msthod Of The single gle leaf
ends TO the same great class as the Indian
corn, but the popularity of their reproductive
organs makes of them a family to themselves.
The queerness. amounting almost to mon
strosity In some Of the orchids, shows itself in
the plants as well as In the flowers. There are
those which grow in the air; there are parasites
FEEDING on the living juices of the plants to
,ha they cling, and saprophytes growing at
the expense OF dead and decaying vegetable
matter. some OF them have solid leaves like
the cucumber. Another Is spray Of blossoms,
s %h Just enough root TO cling TO tree trunk'
but whatever else may be lacking there are al.
ways flowers, and whatever, In the economy Of
the plant, Is needed for their sustenance and
1t will probably be surprise to such people
to find that Orchids-whch we are all accus-
toned to consider as somewhat rare and curl
Gus greenhouse plants-have many represent
tatives in our native woods and swamps. Some
family may be found side by side with the home
ly cranberry or growing in the cedar swampS
of the northern and eastern states. Forty
seven varieties, many of them identical with
European forms, arc found in New England
alone. This Is a somewhat meagre showing be-
sides the 300 varieties indigenous to the island
OF Java, to be sure, but worth looking fter.
Many of these native orchids are insignificant
i'm size aud color, but Others, such as the pink,
The yellow. and the snowy lady's slipper,
known also in the vernacular as Indian mocas-
sins, are very gorgeous among the delicate
spring and summer wild flowers Of our north
ern woods and swampS.
An ordinary, simple flower, such as q rose, or
Il geranium, shows an arrangement, in cOncen-
trio circles. OF four different kinds OF organs
sepals, petals, stameDs and pistilS. The Sepals
forming the calyx, are the green leaves which
inclOSe the growing bud; the petals the row or
rows of colored leaves forming the corolla; the
slamens, the pollen producing, and the pistils,
the pollen receiving parts OF the flower. The
Central organs afford the Tdison detre of the
flower, the calyx and cOrOlla are meant to pro-
tect and eufold them. 1t Is not individual life
so much as the perpetuation of its kind which
seems To be the purpose of most of the marvel
Jus adaptations among the orchid family.
This simple arrangement, whorl Within whorl,
oi sepalS. petals, stameus and pislils, is to be
found in multitude OF flowers. An infinite
!, ariety of shape is however, produced by the
or rather the transformation of
certain parts. A rose is doubled by cultivation,
but that only means that some OF its stamens
petals. This is because the flower as flower
has been made an end of. Its no longer mere
cradle for growing seed. In an ordinary BIOS
som, just below the pisti! will be found a SWELL
ST
down this passageway the pollen penetrates,
nnaliy reaching the small embryonic seed, Of
which Ii Is full. The pollen reaches and fertil-
ICES each of these bodies, called ovules and then
they develop into perfect seed, and not till then
In many plants it IS important tina: there
should be crOss-fertilization in order that the
seed may be vigorous. The devices by which
the pollen of one flower or plant is brought to
the pistl of another are infinite. but there is no
one family OF plants so wonderful in this way as
the orchids. There are, or would be, fifteen
organs in an orchid flower if some OF them had
six stamens, and three pistils. The sepals in
stead of being green, are colored like petals and
alternate with them In making the lower. or
the three petals two are natural, the third has
Incorporated into itself two stamens, the re-
mainder OF the stamens, four in number, and
the three pistils having all grown together into
0ne organ called the column. The modified
flower thus has seven instead of fifteen organs.
The extraordinary development Of the modified
lutte most of the peculiarities in the form of
orchid blossoms. The dove in the flower or the
Holy Spirit, the frog III the frog orchid, the man
sumed by the column, while the res mblance
to birds, butterflies, bees, ants, spiders and
is made usually by the labellum
riety the labellum looks like 4 long curled
ostrich leather beautifully colored with rose
and violet.
The Iabellum II It stood naturally would be at
the top OF the flower, but the stem or ovary
gives half twist, bringing this leaf down to
the lower part The twist seems to be very inn
orch 70 itu f,r
where the labellum Is wanted on top the flower
gives whole twist and brings 1t up again, on
tive. All these peculiaritfes of,structure are
not for their own sake; they have a purpose
and serve TO bring together pollen and ovules,
usually from one flower to another. Cross
for some reason, seems more neces-
sary to orchids than to most other plants. In
some cases the pollen OF an orchid is impotent
10 fertllze Its own Ovules, and in few II is even
poisonous. The orchid flower is most ingenious
trap baited with color and perfume and honey
so arranged that In reaching the honey the in
sect which frequents the flower must brush by
the pollen, and usually carry it OFT. In most
flowers the pollen Is In loose grains; in the Or
child it Is bound into little packages BY elastic
threads TO prevent waste as we shall see
The column has upon it two sticky spots, all
that is lett Of the Incorporated pisti and two
ends below in a sticky ball, and are inciOsed be-
hind a trap door. The whole of the pollinia, as
ball, stem and pollen masses are called, is not
unlike the tree In a childs toy village. Let us
suppose a bee, enticed by the color and fra
GRANGE Of an orchid. to alight, she would find a
natural resting place on the large projecting
labellum. Here there are guiding ridges TO
keep her in the straight and narrow way that
leads 70 the honey pouch. In reaching that her
head touches the spring of the trap door, which
dies open. Her head now presses against the
sticky base of the p0llinia. As she sucks the
base Is glued tightly on her head. and she with
draws her head adorned with tOpknOt. II the
poilinia remained In the same position, it. is
easy to see that as the bee entered another
Hover II would impinge upon another pollen
mass and do no good. But it does not remain
IA 1t was; In q few seconds 1t bends forward ut
exactly such an angle that, upon entering the
strikes the sticky spots on the column and
while the bee is sucking 1t becomes glued there.
The bee sees to IL that it Is the same kind Of
hover; they visit only one kind on each trip
they never mix their drinks. II by any chance
the bee withdraws its head before the pollen is
elastic threads hold 1t fast till the bee visits
another flower.
THIS is one of the simplest Of all the provi.
sions in the orchid family for cross-ertiization.
The popularity Of structure, which has won
popular favor, Is only an outward and visible
that has made this family especially interest
Ing to scientific investigators. Darwin con-
iessed, after studying orchids for 20 years, TO q
hesitation In pronouncing himself fully &C
quainted with d single plant. 1t Is to his long
years OF patient study and close observation
that we owe most Of what Is generally known
about orchids. Not that he was the only
worker In the Held. but that he was the only
one OF them all who seemed able to instruct and
70 charm the ordinary reader, without any sac-
rnce OF scientific accuracy.
orchid flower Is beyond belief Darwin esti-
mated that on a common English orchid there
were 1855, 900 seeds formed. This, enormous as