How orchids first started from thousands of dust-like seeds

In nature orchids and other flowering plants alike are pollinated by birds, insects, air, water and many other ways. The main pollinators of orchids in nature are insects. They  become attracted to their flowers by smells, colours and resemblance. Orchids have dust-like seeds which disperse in the air when the seed capsule finally ripens and splits. These seeds which are dispersed into the air have to find a viable spot to start germination and to spend decades of their lives growing. The spot has to be plentiful in a fungus called mycorrhizal fungus. This fungus supplies the orchid seeds with small amounts of sugar to start germination and normally will remain on the orchids roots until it dies. The tiny seeds need a combination of moisture, humidity, sugar and warmth.



Orchids like bulbophyllum beccarii are pollinated by fly's which are attracted to their foul smell of rotting meat. People have described it as one thousand elephants rotting in the sun and filled with maggots. One of my next blogs are going to focus on the species bulbophyllum and how they are pollinated.