It’s not just that I’m lazy. It’s late morning and I’m about halfway done with watering but I had pulled out my phone to take some pictures and this reminded me. A friend the other day called Phalaenopsis orchids “boring” and I have to say I disagree. Yes they are supermarket orchids. Yes they are hard to kill. Yes they are manufactured for consumption like so many widgets. But they are not boring.
I stuck one in the crook of a thin tree a few weeks ago when she was done blooming. Within days I saw she had set up a new inflorescence bud on the old flower stalk. That’s coming along nicely but the amazing thing I want to talk about for a moment is the interplay between her roots and one of her large leaves. I’ve written a bit about root-leaf interactions, especially the way the roots of so many species seem to grow upward along the middle crease in the leaves. I’ve also written about how orchids develop secret spaces with their bodies that collect moisture, nutrients, microorganisms and larger organisms like ants and moths. This was a new one though.
So this orchid has developed a concave shelter over its roots, the dome-like ceiling being one of its larger leaves. I felt in there one day. It was more than solid. It was hard as a rock. Those roots are packed in and for all I know attached to the bottom of the leaf. They’re pretty cool to observe and they’re a great way to conserve moisture. Amazing to see what a supermarket orchid can do when left to its own devices in nature
I stuck one in the crook of a thin tree a few weeks ago when she was done blooming. Within days I saw she had set up a new inflorescence bud on the old flower stalk. That’s coming along nicely but the amazing thing I want to talk about for a moment is the interplay between her roots and one of her large leaves. I’ve written a bit about root-leaf interactions, especially the way the roots of so many species seem to grow upward along the middle crease in the leaves. I’ve also written about how orchids develop secret spaces with their bodies that collect moisture, nutrients, microorganisms and larger organisms like ants and moths. This was a new one though.
So this orchid has developed a concave shelter over its roots, the dome-like ceiling being one of its larger leaves. I felt in there one day. It was more than solid. It was hard as a rock. Those roots are packed in and for all I know attached to the bottom of the leaf. They’re pretty cool to observe and they’re a great way to conserve moisture. Amazing to see what a supermarket orchid can do when left to its own devices in nature
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