Nine Ways to Lure a Lover, Orchid-Style
Beauty, mystery and deceit—the Smithsonian's collection of nearly 8,000 live orchids has it all
- By Megan Gambino
- Smithsonian.com, January 18, 2012
(James Osen)
Orchids of the genus Psychopsis are often called “butterfly orchids” because of their resemblance to the dazzling insect. “The three sepals [modified leaves] look like antennae sticking out of the top, whereas the three petals are more wing-like,” says horticulturist Tom Mirenda, of Psychopsis versteegiana (above). Even the column—the reproductive structure in the center of the flower where the male and female parts are fused together—looks like part of an insect, the head.
When a plant looks like an insect, one of two scenarios is probably at play, explains the Smithsonian’s orchid specialist. The flower might be mimicking a female insect so that an inexperienced male of the same species comes to the flower looking to mate. This ploy is called pseudocopulation. Or it might appear to be a particular insect in order to lure that insect’s predator or parasite. Either way, the duped insect is there to aid in pollination.
American botanist Calaway Dodson claims to have seen zebra butterflies, in the 1950s, attacking this Central and South American orchid species, as if to defend their territory. It is possible that pollen was transferred in this altercation. But no one has actually witnessed the pollination of this type of orchid in the wild. “It is a species that has been in cultivation for well over a century, and yet no one is really sure what pollinates it or why,” says Mirenda. “It is just amazing that such a mystery has lasted all this time.”
Comments (4)
IMHO, some orchids are seductively beautiful, like Hollywood movie stars of the glamorous 1940's, and some are weird, like the odd people in Diane Arbus photographs. However, I have a fondness for most of them.
Posted by m.beth han-sen on February 28,2012 | 08:05 AM
Well to me this one looks like a ballet dancer w/ wings. So Mary, I cannot help you. It's kinda like looking at clouds, some see things and others just keep saying where. They grow usually high in the warm canopies of S.America, on the side of trees. Some are air plants, which is why they are so hard to grow, and yet have been around in different varieties for so long.
Posted by Paulette Ward on February 24,2012 | 10:22 PM
@Mary Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. It is okay that you feel the way that you do, and I would bet that you are not alone. But, I would encourage you to continue to observe all the species of orchids, wild and greenhouse hybrids. Hopefully one day you will find one that will capture your attention and admiration. What I admire most about orchids is their incredible diversity, their ancient origins, and their ability to capture my imagination.
Posted by Kathy on February 5,2012 | 04:27 PM
I am really glad someone brought up this topic. I know that there are many species but what I don't understand is why so many people like them. I must be the only female that doesn't like them. All of the species that I have looked at just look like a wild weed. I realize that I am strange in this attitude, but I have felt that way since I first encountered them. Does anyone else feel this way?
Posted by Mary on January 30,2012 | 01:25 AM