Orchids Ecology

Orchids comprise the largest family of the plant kingdom, with around 20,000 species divided into about 800 genera distributed worldwide. There are only two environments in the land where these plants do not thrive, the poles and deserts of sand. Orchids are more diverse in tropical regions, where they often are epiphytes.

Their ability to adapt is remarkable, since they can grow both at sea and in the high moors. Many live on trees (epiphytes), others on rocks (lithophytes), others on land, and even some species develop in subsurface environments.

Despite what many people believe, the epiphytes are not parasitic because they do not feed on the tree where they live. The orchids use it as a means of support and as a vehicle to reach sunlight. Some measure only a few inches, and others may have the bearing of a tree. Its flowers can be so small that it is impossible to observe them with the naked eye, while others call wide attention.