Much has been written and said about orchids, but at the same time exotic beautiful flowers are associated with them on store shelves. In fact, all the beautiful garden forms came from wild representatives. And in our latitudes, representatives of this family also grow. Forest orchids may not be as beautiful as tropical orchids, but they are also not without their charm.
Orchids in Russia
Forest orchids in Russia are outwardly different from their tropical relatives, but at the same time they are no less interesting and beautiful when examined in more detail. Perhaps we met them in the wild, but did not even think about which family the plants belong to. 136 species of orchids grow in the country (photos and names of some of them we will give in the article). They can be found on the edges and clearings, in wetlands and in meadows. This is a two-leafed love, yarrow, slipper venereum, calypso bulbous, marsh napkin, spreading orehoris. Almost all northern forest orchids are listed in the Red Book. They grow even in the Leningrad, Novgorod and Pskov regions.
The structure of orchids
Forest orchids of the middle stripe have common characteristics inherent to representatives of this family - this is the structure of the root system and flowers. The inflorescence consists of three leaves and three sepals. Most often there is a brighter color of the petals than the sepals. But this phenomenon is far from always. The lip of a flower is a seat for insects, and therefore it always has a bright color.
The roots of forest orchids are very fragile inside and outside protected by a thick layer of tissue, consisting of dead tissue, which have a high absorbency. Thanks to this, the plant receives the necessary nutrition. Orchid roots have an amazing ability to form a fungus - mycorrhiza. Between the plant and the fungus, a complex mechanism of metabolism occurs, which they cannot synthesize on their own. It is for this reason that transplanting orchid plants is far from always successful even among specialists. Orchids do not survive without their fungal companion, they either die immediately, or through time.
Venus slipper
Venus slipper - the most beautiful forest orchids of the northern forests. The flower is so charming that it can really be dedicated to the goddess of beauty and love. It was this type of orchid that was first taken under protection in Europe at the end of the nineteenth century. The plant is saved from annoying animals with the help of its caustic juice, which makes it completely tasteless. But from people who like to pick beautiful flowers, you just can’t protect yourself. It is difficult to imagine, but the plant blooms only in the eighteenth year of life. Therefore, it is not surprising that it is difficult to find a slipper in the wild right now.
The genus slipper has about 50 species of orchids (photos and names of some of them are given in the article). They are common in Europe, Asia, North and South America. Only four species grow in Russia - spotted, true, large-flowered, etc.
Venus slipper has a bright yellow lip and very dark purple petals. The very shape of the flower is very similar to a women's shoe. The spectacular shape of the orchid and bright color make the plant look like a butterfly.
Legends of the beautiful flower
A very interesting legend is associated with this plant of the orchid family. Once upon a time in one fabulous country, butterflies sat on a plant and could no longer fly, as they turned into beautiful flowers.
But the legend of ancient Greek mythology talks about how the shoes of Venus turned into a beautiful flower. Adonis and Venus fell into a thunderstorm and hid from the weather in a secluded place. And the shoe of the goddess remained lying on the ground. At this time, a man passed by and saw a golden shoe. As soon as he decided to raise it and held out his hand, he turned into a flower, like a shoe.
Where does the slipper grow?
They have long learned to grow a venus shoe on flowerbeds. It is worth noting that these forest orchids are one of the most unpretentious. They are found in the mountainous regions of Tibet, in China, as well as in the forest regions of the European part of Russia. Their habitat covers the Far East, Siberia, Korea, Japan and North America. Venus slipper lives in mixed coniferous and deciduous fields, as well as in glades.
Two-leafed
Another forest orchid is a two-leaf love. Flowering plant has a very elegant look. On a thin stalk there is an ear of white flowers. Near the ground there are two sheets opposite each other. By them you can recognize the plant even when it does not bloom. It is worth noting that specimens with two leaves are blooming, and those that have only one basal leaf are non-blooming. During flowering, the two-leaf love exudes an amazing aroma, which is especially strong in the morning and evening hours. For this, the people got the name of the plant - night violet, although it has nothing to do with the violets themselves.
The flowering of the plant itself can not be called beautiful, since small white flowers are equipped with spurs, because of which from afar the inflorescence seems shaggy. Each one contains nectar that attracts insects. Two-leafed Luba propagates exclusively by seeds, of which there are a lot of ripening. But, like all orchids, they germinate with great difficulty. A flowering plant attracts the attention of people who pluck flower stalks without thinking about the fact that in this way completely deprive a forest orchid of the opportunity to reproduce. Currently, the two-leaf love is on the verge of extinction.
Orchis spotted
Another forest orchid is the spotted orchis. It is this species that is the most common representative of the orchid family. About 24 species of orchis grow in Russia. They all differ in the color of flowers, foliage, and the structure of the root system.
Most often, the following species are found: orchis spotted. A perennial plant can be seen in the forests at the end of June or in July, during its flowering period. Orchis prefers moist meadows, forest swamps and shrubs. He is very beautiful during the flowering period. A description of the spotted orchis would be incomplete if we did not talk about its colors of white or light purple. Which are collected in an ear. The leaves of the plant have light gray spots, which is why its name came about. Flowers secrete nectar, attracting insects that pollinate it, so the seeds ripen. Orchis also propagates only by seeds. The roots of the plant look like flattened cones. If you dig them up during the flowering period, you will find two tubers, one of which is brown in color, and the second is young and light. It is from it that the next year a young plant appears.
Orchis has long been used as a remedy. Value is its roots. They have incredible nutritional ability. For example, for an adult in the absence of other food, it is enough to eat 40 grams of the roots of orchis, dried into powder and diluted with water. In folk medicine, other species are also used: helmet Orchis (Orchis militaris L.), male Orchis (Orchis mascula L.), Orchis marsh (Orchis palustris L.) and others … Another name for the species is "Shlemnik", it emphasizes the shape of the upper flower petal. Therefore, the scientific name of the species is "Orchis helmet-bearing" (Orchis militaris L.).
Real nesting
This plant always stands out from the mass of others, because it has a kind of brown color. The stem of a real nesting rises from the ground, and in its lower part are the rudiments of leaves resembling scales. The inflorescence of the plant consists of fifteen light brown flowers. This forest orchid got its name due to the plexus of roots, which resembles a bird's nest. Nesting is nourished by rotting plant debris. She absolutely does not need light, since she does not have chlorophyll. To meet such a plant in the forest is a rarity. It grows one at a time, not in groups. Nesting breeds only by seeds, like other members of the family.
Goodyear Creeping
Creeper is a very rare plant that is found in pine forests among mosses. The leaves of the plant are collected in a rosette and look very much like the leaves of a plantain. But at the same time they are much smaller and decorated with a mesh pattern. Goodyear also belongs to the orchid family. It blooms in mid-summer. The stem grows from the outlet, its height is 15-20 centimeters. And the top is decorated with white flowers. By the end of summer, seeds grow in small boxes in plants. They are so small that they are not even visible to the naked eye.
Unlike other plants, they consist of a homogeneous tissue, while they have no root buds or leaves. Goodyear has long creeping rhizomes, the surface of which is covered with a dense layer of mushroom threads. Thanks to them, the plant absorbs the moisture of their soil. Such a close collaboration between the plant and the fungi is called symbiosis. Gudera cannot grow without mycorrhiza. Even the seeds of a plant will never take root without a mushroom. Due to the fact that it is very difficult to work with our forest orchids, they were practically not touched by the hands of breeders, so they live the way nature created them millions of years ago.
Horticultural crops
And yet, the beauty of orchids did not go unnoticed by gardeners. Among the forest orchids, there were still those that can be grown in home areas. These include forest orchid - leopard lily. A beautiful exotic plant can be grown from seeds that some nurseries sell online. The birthplace of the plant is China, but it also takes root well in our gardens. Belamkanda is Chinese, it is also a forest orchid and leopard lily has a very long flowering period. The plant belongs to perennials and propagates well in the gardens by self-sowing.
They began to call it a leopard lily due to the presence of dark orange spots on beautiful flowers. And the plant is called blackberry lily, because its seeds resemble these berries. In general, culture is unique and there is nothing more like it in the world. The plant is incredibly widespread throughout China. In addition, it can be seen in Indonesia, Japan, North India and Eastern Siberia. In nature, the plant grows in sparse forests, on rocky cliffs, on the slopes of rice fields and even along roadsides.
Belamkanda was brought to us from East Asia. Now it is grown in gardens as an ornamental plant with elegant beautiful flowers. A perennial plant has yellow-orange or reddish flowers with characteristic dark dots. Moreover, they are collected in large inflorescences in the form of wide brushes. A blossoming flower in diameter reaches five to seven centimeters.
In our latitudes, the orchid begins to bloom in late July. It pleases with beauty until the end of August, and sometimes until the beginning of September. An interesting fact is that each flower has a very short life. It blooms in just a couple of hours. It opens in the morning, and begins to fade closer to sunset. Externally, flowering just looks like twisting. And the next day, in the morning, new flowers are already opening on the stem. Here is such a unique plant - a leopard orchid.
In autumn, seeds in boxes that ripen on blackberries are ripened on the plant. Belamkanda reproduces well by dividing the rhizomes, as well as by seeds, which are grown even at room conditions, in order to later transplant into open ground.
