Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume XII.djvu/687

 ORCHIDS 673 subject has its economical application ; the at- tempts to produce vanilla in the East Indies have failed, the plants, while they grow and flower abundantly, bearing no fruit. It is be- lieved that the insect which fertilizes the flow- er in Central America is needed to complete the act. The ovary in orchids is inferior (9, fig. 1), and is twisted half a turn in such a manner as to reverse the position of the parts of the flower; thus the lip, which is structur- ally the superior petal, is by this torsion of the ovary made to appear as the inferior or low- er. In ripening, the ovary forms a one-celled, leathery or membranous, cylindrical or ovoid capsule, with innumerable seeds of an appear- ance which has been likened to fine sawdust. Orchids are found in nearly all countries ex- cept those upon the borders of the frozen zone, and those of excessive dryness. In northern localities the species are terrestrial, usually in- habiting marshy places or shady woods ; in tropical countries many of them are epiphy- tal, growing upon the branches of trees in dense and humid forests without contact with the earth. In this country there are east of the Mississippi about 70 species of orchidacece distributed in 18 genera, and all of these are terrestrial, except two epiphytal species of epi- dendrum found in Florida. Calypso lorealis extends in British America as far north as lat. 68; this is also found in northern Europe, and is the most boreal species known. Our most conspicuous orchids are the cypripedi- ums, already referred to; but some of the smaller flowered ones, such as Arethusa and Calypso, are plants of great beauty, while some species of pogonia are exceedingly grotesque. Our largest genus is habenaria (Lat. habena, a thong or rein, in reference to the shape of the lip in some species) ; this includes about 20 species, some of which, like H. Integra, are not at all showy. H. orbiculata, the flower of which has been already mentioned, is notice- able for its two large, orbicular leaves, some- times 8 in. across, which lie flat upon the ground ; this is frequently met with in pine and hemlock woods. The white-fringed or- chis (H. llepTiariglottis) and the yellow-fringed (H. ciliaris) are objects of real beauty ; and there are three fine lilac or purple-flowered ones to be found in our moist meadows and bogs. Of the genus orchis we have but a single representative, the showy orchis (0. spectalilis), which is found from Kentucky northward, in rich, moist woods; it has two oblong shining leaves, 3 to 5 in. long, from between which rises the flower stalk, about 6 in. high, bearing a few handsome white and pinkish flowers. England has 10 species of orchis. Though so large a family, the or- chidacecB yield but few useful products, the most important commercially being the pods of several species of vanilla. (See VANILLA.) The tubers of some species contain a form of nutritive starch, associated with a peculiar gum; these are collected and dried, and are found in commerce as salep. Orchids are among the most valued of cultivated flowers, some for their beauty, others for their fra- grance, and others for their grotesque forms. FIG. 5. Butterfly Orchis (Oncidium papilio). Their simulative forms are sometimes wonder- ful ; the flowers of one species are quite like the mouth of a cuttle fish, in others the re- semblance to a large spider is equally strong, and in several species the flowers almost ex- actly imitate various insects; this is notably the case in the butterfly, orchis, oncidium pa- pilio, the flowers of which, in size, form, and color, are like a gaudy butterfly. In peristeria the column takes on the form of a dove. (See HOLY SPIRIT PLANT.) Among wealthy horti- culturists the cultivation of orchids is often a passion, and fine specimens of rare species are purchased at almost incredible prices ; the FIG. 6. Orchis in cultivation (Phalaenopsis amabilis). growing of large specimens is slow work. At the sale of the celebrated collection of Mr. Mendel in England in the spring of 1873, sin- gle specimens brought as high as 20, 40, and