Anatomy Of Orchids
The roots and stem form the base of your Pure Beauty orchid. The roots absorb water and nutrients from the media your orchid is planted in. The leaves, buds and flowers grow from the stem, often referred to as the spike. Your Pure Beauty orchid produces beautiful sprays of flowers along its spike.
The most interesting part of your orchid is its flower, which has both petals and sepals. Sepals usually come in a set of three and are often mistaken for petals. They are in fact, the remains of the flower bud.
Of all of the more commonly available orchids, only Phalaenopsis (the moth orchid) will re-bloom from its old spike. Phalaenopsis will generally re-bloom given a little extra care.
The petals will always come in sets of three. One on each side and another bottom petal, called the Lip. Pollination takes place on the lip petal, which is larger and usually more colorful.
Because your Pure Beauty orchid is self-pollinating it doesn’t need assistance from bees to reproduce. The reproductive organs live in the column, a finger-like structure usually seen on the lip.
When thinking about the anatomy of your orchid, think in threes:
- Three Sepals
- Three Petals
- One Stem
Definitions:
- Bloom – these are the flowers
- Bud – the round structure on the plant, that encloses an undeveloped Bloom
- Column – the small cylindrical extension between the two largest petals. This is the central reproductive organ of the orchid.
- Leaves – flattened paddle-like structures located above the Roots
- Lip – the bottom petal that is connected to the flower by the Column. The Lip’s role is to aid pollination
- Medium – material added to an orchid container to add stability and hold moisture for the Roots. This can range from moss to bark. In the case of Pure Beauty orchids, it is moss.
- Node – the joint or notch on the Spike from which a another flower stem can grow
- Roots – the lowest part of the plant that attaches to the ground or to a support delivering water and nourishment to the rest of the plant
- Sepal – the outer segments of an orchid flower’s petals
- Spike/Stem – the central stalk of the orchid plant from which Buds develop into Blooms
- Throat – the colorful internal part the orchid Lip