The free press. (Poplarville, Miss.) 1890-19??, 1892-07-28
ODD ORCHIDS.
Plants Which Afford CounterfeitS
of Animal Life.
Most Curious Tribe In All the
Vegetable Kingdom.

its to a Washington Star writer.
"Among the most remarkable illus
trations of this tendency on her part
are numerous vegetable limitations of
animal life. You will find this sort
of freak best exhibited in plants of
the orchid kind, whose oddly formed
flowers suggestsvarious queer resem-
blanccs.. There are two species, for
example, known as the bee orchid
and the fly orchid from the likeness
between their flowers and those in
sects. Other varieties for similar rea-
sons are called the 'man orchid,' the
lizard orchid and the 'lady's slipper
In some species the flowers are like
splendid butterflies. One again re-
minds the observer Of grinning
monkey; another suggests the aspect
of an opera dancer suspended by the
head, while third named the spider
orchid affords striking likeness to
that animal.
"Although there are orchids of va
rious kinds to be found in temperate
latitudes, the most beautiful species
grow in luxuriance where tropical
climate develops these exquisite vege-
table forms on the branches of the
living trees, in the decayed bark of
fallen trunks. running over mossy
rocks or hanging suspended from
boughs in the untrodden forests. For
long time it was supposed that this
most curious tribe in all the vegetable
kingdom could not be subjected to the
uses of the gardener, but it has been
discovered of late years that, with care
and perseverance, they. can be brought
to a. high perfection in green
house as they obtain in their native
woods. 1t is chiefly in the forests
of South America that the species
which grow on the bark of trees are
found. Some of them are known as
'air plant from their power of vege-
tating when simply suspended in the
air without any soil or direct supply
of water, supported only by the mois-
ture of the atmosphere. When hung
up by strings from tho ceiling of
room they will live for months and
will go OH blossoming luxuriantly.
Such orchids are favorite ornaments
of houses in China and Japan.
"There are nearly 5000 known spe-
| cies Of orchids. Probably as many
more remain undiscovered in the
depths of unexplored tropical forests.
He who comes upon new one OBJ
tains almost as much glory as is got
by the discovery of star. 1t seems
curious that, whereas these plants are
spread over ne arly all of the world,
as far as the bosdcrs of the frozen
zone. there should be so very few
kinds that are useful in any way to
man. Vanilla is an orchid, which, in
the West Indies, crccps over trees and
walls like ivy. A substance called
'salep' somewhat resembling arrow
root or sago, is obtained from the
tubers of variety that grows in Tur-
key and Persia, where it is highly
esteemed.
This 'salep' used to be sold at the
corners of streets in London, says DR..
Carpenter in his Vegetable Ply
siology.' 1t was favorite drink with
porters, coal beavers and other hard
working people, by whom it was con-
sidcred very strengthening. tits said
to contain greater amount Of nutri-
ment than any other vegetable sub
stance in the same bulk, and for this
reason it is much employed by travel
era who have to carry supplies with
them into deserts and other uninhabi-
ted countries. One ounce of 'saleb,
boiled with an equal quantity of the
animal jelly known as portable soup,
in two quarts of water, will suffice for
the daily nourishment of an able
bodied man. Some of the South
American species yield, by boiling, a
sort of glue, utilized by the Brazilians
for fastening leather together. These
arc the oaly orchids that are of utility
to mankind"