ORCHIDS

The orchid family (ORCHIDACEAE) is considered the largest family of the flowering plants. It has over 150,000 hybrids and 30,000 species recorded throughout the world, excluding the ones that are yet to be discovered. Orchids are found in many parts of the world, from the Arctic region to the Tropics, but most of them are found in the warmer regions of the earth. Though found from sea level to 14,000 feet, they are found most abundant between elevations of 1,500 to 7,000 feet. Habitats of orchids vary, from dry sandy areas to aquatic habitats to tree tops in clouded forests. Some are confined to a particular environment (endemic) while others are found over a wide range of localities. Orchids belong to the Monocots, seed plants having a single cotyledon and leaves which have parallel veins and floral parts in threes. The floral structure of orchids helps us to distinguish it from the rest of the plant families. An orchid flower normally has 3 sepals on the outer floral whorl and 3 petals on the inner whorl. One of the petals, the lip or labellum, is different from the other two. It is often larger, highly modified in terms of shape, colour and structure and also showier. The flower is oddly twisted to let the lip be at the lowest segment for pollination. Coupled with fragrance, orchid flowers can attract pollinators such as bees, butterflies, moths, flies, and birds to help in its successful pollination. There is also another modification commonly found in orchids. It is the fusion of its flower parts. Emerging from the centre of the flower is a club-shaped column on which sits the anther with masses of pollen grains (pollinia). Below the anther, we find the female portion of the column, the stigma. It has a sticky depressed surface where the pollinia are deposited during pollination. Below the stigma is the ovary. Upon fertilisation, the ovary develops into a seed capsule which contains enormous amount of minute, dustlike seeds. Orchids vary in size – from a fraction of an inch in height with flowers the size of a pinhead to tall ones which have eight foot stems and whose flower stalks are twelve feet high and flowers, five inches across. Orchids have two main growth habits, namely monopodial and sympodial. Sympodial orchids like Arundina and Spathoglottis have pseudobulbs which mature and produce flowers at their terminal end. The pseudobulbs store water and nutrients for the plant. A new pseudobulb grows from the base of the earlier one, forming a rhizome in the long run. Monopodial orchids like Arachnis and Renanthera, on the other hand, have main stems which grow continuously. The main stems produce flower spikes or inflorescences from or opposite the leaf axil. In Malaysia, a small percentage of the orchid species, which are selected according to their horticultural and aesthetic value, is cultivated in specialist nurseries, botanical gardens, and in private collections. The major part of the orchid species population is still in the field, which is in the pristine tropical rainforests. This state of affair is rather risky due to the present indiscreet collection by orchid collectors and traders and the deforestation programme in the name of economic development. This action and development policy threatens the orchid species survival in its natural environment. In a short span of time, they will be depleted. The less attractive and unpopular miniatures or botanicals will subsequently suffer the same fate. The future generations of Malaysians will also lose out by not having the opportunity to see and know them. It is at this point that we find a real need to conserve the orchid species that is in situ and ex situ conservation. A holistic approach is deemed necessary and timely to overcome this situation and also to prevent further deterioration.