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An Orchid's Story
Cycnochis
THE beginnings of my orchid family are shrouded in mystery. Since most orchids are epiphytic-that is, having aerial roots through which we receive nourishment from the minerals in the moisture-laden air of the tropics-my ancestors left no traces behind such as the fossilized remains of ground-growing plants.
Dr. E. Soysa, writing in Orchid Culture in Ceylon, advanced the theory that orchids antedated the fossil era, but that in our love of light we climbed trees to escape the advancing jungle. There we lived, died, dried up, and floated away, leaving no trace. Whatever the genesis of my orchid family, it cannot be doubted that my orchid family is very old, judging both by our great variety and our highly complex structural development, attainable only through the passage of time.
We orchids are among the largest and most highly developed of the plant families, with over thirty thousand known species. A provident nature has lavished every means to insure the perpetuation a favorite child. She has provided our flower with all the charm and allure of a fairy princess to attract insects to perform the service of cross-pollination.
Since each of my species usually has its particular insect each species has specialized flowers to attract them. Such high specialization has insured the purity of my species that has marked the progress of my orchid family.
Some of us can be easily grown by beginners and others require extra knowledge and experience. In these pages we begin to tackle which is which. However, whatever your stage, as each of my family has different requirement for our care, you will need a book on orchids. And frankly you won't find a better or more comprehensive one than The Magic of Orchids.
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