Orchidaceae, commonly called the orchid family, is a diverse and widespread family of flowering plants, with blooms that are often colourful and fragrant.
Rambutan is a medium-sized tropical tree in the family Sapindaceae. The name also refers to the edible fruit produced by this tree. The rambutan is native to Southeast Asia. It is closely related to several other edible tropical fruits including the lychee, longan, pulasan and mamoncillo.
Ophrys apifera, known in Europe as the bee orchid, is a perennial herbaceous plant of the family Orchidaceae. It serves as an example of sexually deceptive pollination and floral mimicry, as well as of a highly selective and highly evolved plant–pollinator relationship.
A pollinator is an animal that moves pollen from the male anther of a flower to the female stigma of a flower. This helps to bring about fertilization of the ovules in the flower by the male gametes from the pollen grains.
Stanhopea is a genus of the orchid family (Orchidaceae) from Central and South America. The abbreviation used in horticultural trade is Stan. The genus is named for the 4th Earl of Stanhope (1781-1855), president of the Medico-Botanical Society of London (1829-1837). It comprises 55 species and 5 natural hybrids. These epiphytic, but occasionally terrestrial orchids can be found in damp forests from Mexico to Trinidad to NW Argentina. Their ovate pseudobulbs carry from the top one long, plicate, elliptic leaf.
Magnolia macrophylla, the bigleaf magnolia, is a deciduous magnolia native to the southeastern United States and eastern Mexico. This species boasts the largest simple leaf and single flower of any native plant in North America.
Ophrys insectifera, the fly orchid, is a species of orchid and the type species of the genus Ophrys. It is remarkable as an example of sexually-deceptive pollination and floral mimicry as well as of a highly-selective and highly evolved plant-pollinator relationship.
Coryanthes, commonly known as bucket orchids, is a genus of tropical epiphytic orchids. This genus is abbreviated as Crths in horticultural trade. They are native to South America, Central America, Mexico and Trinidad.
Bees can suffer serious effects from toxic chemicals in their environments. These include various synthetic chemicals, particularly insecticides, as well as a variety of naturally occurring chemicals from plants, such as ethanol resulting from the fermentation of organic materials. Bee intoxication can result from exposure to ethanol from fermented nectar, ripe fruits, and manmade and natural chemicals in the environment.
Fertilisation of Orchids is a book by English naturalist Charles Darwin published on 15 May 1862 under the full explanatory title On the Various Contrivances by Which British and Foreign Orchids Are Fertilised by Insects, and On the Good Effects of Intercrossing. Darwin's previous book, On the Origin of Species, had briefly mentioned evolutionary interactions between insects and the plants they fertilised, and this new idea was explored in detail. Field studies and practical scientific investigations that were initially a recreation for Darwin—a relief from the drudgery of writing—developed into enjoyable and challenging experiments. Aided in his work by his family, friends, and a wide circle of correspondents across Britain and worldwide, Darwin tapped into the contemporary vogue for growing exotic orchids.
Coryanthes speciosa, the bat orchid, is a species of orchid found in Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, French Guiana, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, Suriname, Venezuela, the Caribbean and Belize.
Galearis rotundifolia is a species of flowering plants in the orchid family, Orchidaceae. It is commonly called roundleaf orchis and small round-leaved orchid. It is a succulent perennial herb native to North America, where it occurs throughout Canada, part of the northern United States, and Greenland.
Spiranthes diluvialis is a rare species of orchid known as Ute lady's tresses. The species name diluvialis means "of the flood". It is native to the western United States, where there are scattered, mostly small occurrences in the states of Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming. An occurrence was recently discovered in southern British Columbia. The plant faces a number of threats to its existence. It is a federally listed threatened species of the United States.
In evolutionary biology, mimicry in plants is where a plant organism evolves to resemble another organism physically or chemically, increasing the mimic's Darwinian fitness. Mimicry in plants has been studied far less than mimicry in animals, with fewer documented cases and peer-reviewed studies. However, it may provide protection against herbivory, or may deceptively encourage mutualists, like pollinators, to provide a service without offering a reward in return.
Pollination traps or trap-flowers are plant flower structures that aid the trapping of insects, mainly flies, so as to enhance their effectiveness in pollination. The structures of pollination traps can include deep tubular corollas with downward pointing hairs, slippery surfaces, adhesive liquid, attractants, flower closing and other mechanisms.
Euglossa cordata is a primitively eusocial orchid bee of the American tropics. The species is known for its green body color and ability to fly distances of over 50 km. Males mostly disperse and leave their home nests, while females have been observed to possess philopatric behavior. Because of this, sightings are rare and little is known about the species. However, it has been observed that adults who pollinate certain species of orchids will become intoxicated during the pollination.
Licania platypus, also known as sun sapote, sansapote, sonzapote, sunzapote, sungano, zapote cabelludo, sapote, sangre, zapote amarillo, zapote borracho, zapote cabello, zapote de mico, zapote de mono, mesonsapote, mezonzapote, cabeza de mico, caca de nino, sonza, sunza, zunza, chaute jolobob, urraco, chupa, and monkey apple, is a flowering tree in the family Chrysobalanaceae.
Oxyanthus tubiflorus, commonly called the needle flower, is a shrub in the family Rubiaceae. It is native to Sierra Leone, Guinea and probably neighboring Liberia. It is noteworthy for producing one of the skinniest flowers of any land (non-aquatic) plant, up to seven inches in length, while only 1/16th inch in width; a length to width ratio of 112 fold. The leaves are opposite and 3 to seven inches long by 1 to 3 inches wide. It is pollinated by a species of sphinx moth.
Chisocheton macrophyllus in the Mahogany family (Meliaceae) is a pachycaul rainforest tree of the East Indies and Malay Peninsula with very few upright limbs (reiterations) ultimately reaching a height of 115 feet. Each reiteration is topped by tight cluster of once-pinnate leaves up to ten feet in length with up to 28 pairs of leaflets, each up to 15.5 inches long by 4.5 inches (11 centimeters in width. Like all Chisocheton species, these leaves are indeterminate, forming a new pair of leaflets every few weeks or months. The cream colored flowers 3/4ths inch long with 4 or 5 petals are arranged in a thyrse up to 32 inches long, followed by pyriform capsules up to six inches in diameter with 2 to 4 seeds each the size and shape of a brazilnut.
Chisocheton polyandrus, of the Mahogany Family (Meliaceae), is a species of pachycaulous, unbranched trees variously called "palmoids", "maypole trees" or "Corner Model Trees" occurring among several families of unrelated trees. C. polyandrus is native to Borneo, and grows up to a height of 49 feet in height, and may have small buttress roots or even prop roots. It is topped by a tight circle of indeterminate, once-pinnate leaves up to 5.5 feet in length, which may eventually have up to fourteen pairs of leaflets, acquired one pair at a time over a period of several months or years, each leaflet measuring up to 17 inches long by 5.5 inches in width. The unbranched inflorescences are up to 6.5 feet long with the flowers occupying the last foot or so, eventually hanging straight down as the weight of the fruit increases. The flowers are tubular, one to 1.25 inches in length. Petals 5 or 6, white with red blush and having up to 14 stamens. The fruit has three seeds, each covered with a red aril.
