The orchid flower

   The orchid is one of the most interesting and beautiful of all flowers. It has many different shapes and colors. All of the 12,000 known species resemble one another, but some are shaped more like a butterfly, some like a dove, and some like a lady's slipper. These exciting blooms, which come from the tropics and subtropics, may be colored white, yellow, purple, green, or brown.
   There are two classes of orchids: those that take their food from the ground (terrestrial) and those that take their food from the air (epiphytal). The terrestrial orchids are found in moist, marshy places and in greenhouses.    They are known as hardy, native varieties and have their resting period ni the winter months. The epiphytal orchids attach themselves to the bark of trees and depend upon the moist, humid atmosphere for water. Sometimes these orchids are incorrectly called parasites. They merely cling to the trunks and limbs of trees and take nothing from the tree itself. In this group of orchids are the most beautiful and most valuable species.
   The orchid flower is irregular. Two of the three petals are alike. The third one takes on many shapes, forming a lip, or labellum. This structural arrangement facilitates insect pollination. One pistil and one or two stamens are joined together. The roots are fibrous, tuberous or bulbous.
   Orchid plants are propagated by division of the rhizome, stem cuttings and by seeds. The latter are very small and require very sterile germinating materials. One variety of climbing orchid produces a long pod that is dark brown when ripe. vanilla is extracted from this plant.