Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-05-03

are cultivated, and they are among the most
desirable plants for horticulturists.
Not many can explain what an orchid is,
for they show almost every conceivable vari-
alton In form and color and marking of the
flowers, and the habits Of the plants are
almost as diverse. Some define them as air
plants, but the larger portion are not; some
define them as parasitic plants, but very
few specimens are parasites; others know
them by their bulb-like roots, and yet many
OF them do not have such roots, while still
others suppose that they are peculiar to
tropical climates, but many are natives of
Canada. Many species of orchids are leaf
less, while others have numerous thick and
stiff leaves. Numbers of them live on the
trunks Of trees in their native tropical
forests and obtain nourishment from the air.
Some live upon decaying matter, while
many others are parasites, drawing their
nourishment from live plants. In our
northern woods some of the species live upon
the roots of trees.
Where the Name Came From.
A great number of the species possess
bulb-like roots, and from this peculiarity
the name orchid itself is derived. The
salep of commerce is produced from these
orchid tubers in Persia. Many species bear
green bulb-like bodies at the base OF the
leaves above ground, and these are known
as pseudo-bulbs, literally "false bulbs"
These pseudo-bulbs are used for propagat-
ing the plants, and they are often cut into
pieces the same as potatoes for planting.
It is not strange that people become con-
fused about orchids when the diverse shape
color and habits of the plants are considered,
but the order is clearly and sharply defined.
Briefly popular definition of the orchid
united in one organ; the pollen Is nearly
always borne in masses; the perianth, or
floral envelope, is composed of three sepals
and three petals, and the oYary is one
celled, and the minute seeds are always
numerous. The orchids are always herbs,
and belong to the great class of parallel
veined plants, which includes the irises,
lilies and palms.
Must Have an Artificial Atmosphere,
At one time, not many years ago, the or.
chids were admired by only few botanists,
and not generally known. Fhe true orchids
were supposed to be natives of warm eli
mates only. but they are now found in all
parts of the globe. except, upon the verge oil
the frozen zone, and in climates remarkable
for dryness; In Europe, Asia and North
America, they are seen growing everywhere
in groves, marshes and meadows. In the
drier parts of Africa they are unknown, or
very rare. At the Cape of Good Hope
they abound in similar situations as in
Europe, but in the hot damp parts
of the West and East Indies, in NADIA
gascar and the peighboring isles, in
the damp and humid forests of Brazil. in
the warm, mild parts of India. and on the
lower mountains of Nepaf, the orchidaceous
plants flourish in the greatest variety and
profusion, no longer seeking their nutri-
ment from the soil, but clinging to the
trunks and limbs of trees, to stones and bare
rocks; they vegetate, among ferns aud other
shade-loving plants, in countless numbers.
When transmitted to our houses they re-
quire from US an atmosphere similar to
what they enjoy in their native haunts,
which can only be obtained by shade, heat
and moisture, carefully administered.
There is no country in which the orchids
abound so luxuriously as in the forests of
Mexico and Brazil, and tons of the bulbs
are annually sent from these countries to |
Europe and the United States.
Paradise of the Orchid Hunter.
Many of the rare ones found in these for |
ests eclipse anything brought from Europe |
Or Asia, and orchid hunters are continually |
searching the woods of Brazil and Mexico |
after new specimens. They are rich in |
every shade or variety of color, airy and |
fantastic in their habits but always elegant,
replete with the richest aromatic perfumes, /
or emitting the most refreshing and delicate |
odors, or portraying in the most extraordi- |
nary formations of their flowers the minia-
lures of almost all animated nature, beasts,
birds, fishes, insects and reptiles, and even |
the human species. In fact they combine |
all the qualities that one can desire-beauty, |
fragrance and durability.
Several Of our largest and most expensive