Beautiful Plants - Orchids

One of the most beautiful and sought after flowers throughout the world is the orchid. Whether in a corsage, a floral arrangement or a single stem in a vase, orchids are in just about every florist shop. So what does this have to do with Costa Rica?

Simple, orchids are the largest plant family in Costa Rica. The orchid is also the national flower of Costa Rica.

It is hard to say exactly how many types of orchids exist in Costa Rica though between 1,300 and 1,400 species have been identified. Many of the cultivated species are exhibited yearly in San Jose during March and can be bought in many stores to grow in your homes. Some vendors along many streets also sell a variety of these beautiful flowers. If you are traveling back from the Pacific Coast as you pass through Atenas you may see some orchids for sale in front of one of the houses. These are priced near what nurseries charge for orchids, though there seem to be more of a choice at this house. With many varieties the flowers last for weeks, while some flowers only last 1 day.

Some interesting facts about orchids:

1. One type of orchid fruit is regularly eaten by humans, yes it’s true, VANILLA! Mexico’s Emperor Montezuma gave a taste to Cortez who introduced it in Europe. It quickly became the ‘in’ flavoring for European royalty.

2. Vanilla is the second most labor intensive food crop in the world after saffron.

3. There is a special fungus what is essential a part of the life cycle of the orchid. Without this fungus the seed cannot grow.

4. When studying orchids, either in nature or through written material you will notice that several varieties seem to be growing on trees. But orchids are not parasitic. They are air plants that simply attach themselves to a tree’s bark.

5. Over 50 orchid species have been found growing in a single tree!

When you are in the forests and come across an orchid, by all means take several photos. But leave the plant where it is. Many people have taken plants from an area and try to grow them in gardens through out the country. This will cause most of these orchids to die as they are very sensitive to the environment and subtle changes may be enough to kill the plant, thus depleting the country and many other people from viewing these amazing looking flowers. This has been such a problem that it is now illegal to take orchids out of their natural environment.

So before taking a walk in the forests, do some research on orchids and see how many you can find. They really are everywhere.