AboutOrchids

I’ve blogged several times about the world’s most delicious orchid, vanilla. But did you know that there are other edible orchids? One of the most popular orchid foods is salep, or sahlep. In Turkey and the lands of the former Ottoman Empire, the roots of Mediterranean orchids are milled into flour, and added to ice cream in warm weather, and hot drinks in wintertime.

Salep is traditionally made from the tubers, or thickened roots, of the orchis family. The Early Purple Orchid, or Orchis mascula, is one of the most common sources. Harvested from wild orchid populations, the tubers are made into starchy flour. This is added to water or milk to make ice cream, and flavored with pistachio, apricot, vanilla, or peach. When added to hot water or milk, it’s often flavored with cinnamon.

I’ve never had the opportunity to try salep, but others describe it as tasting sweet, nutty, and earthy. Orchid ice cream has an elastic texture that stays frozen longer than regular ice cream. In the videos below, salep vendors in Turkey entertain their customers.

To learn more, check out this authentic salep recipe. You can also read a tale of buying salep in Turkey, including a photo of dried orchid tubers. Salon explores orchid ice cream and salep’s Turkish birthplace.

Looking to relax? How about a calming visit to floating orchid forest? Tokyo’s Miraikan Museum has just what you need. As guests walk though the exhibit in the video below, computers gently raise and lower thousands of living orchids hanging from the ceiling. It’s reminiscent of the lush beauty of Avatar, and I’m sure it’s full of wonderful fragrances, too.

If you can emerge from the trance of this dreamy video, you may notice that these orchids are bare-root, not potted at all. Hanging in the air is very familiar for these air plants, although they are typically attached to trees, not the ceiling. As long as they have water, good humidity, and a little fertilizer, this exhibit could continue to live, grow, and bloom indefinitely. However, this floating dance of flowers, leaves, and roots only runs until May 10th. Read more about the exhibit here.

It’s easy to spend a whole day enjoying the UC Botanical Garden at Berkeley. Established in 1890, it has one of the largest and most diverse plant collections in the country, spread over 34 acres (13.8 hectares) of gardens and greenhouses. Among the botanical treasures, there are many unusual orchid species, which are rotated through the displays as they come into bloom. These beauties were a few of the highlights of our visit last month.

Most of the orchids are displayed in the Orchid, Fern & Carnivorous Plant House. There are some in the Tropical House, too. The final photo shows a Chinese Ground Orchid outdoors in the Chinese Medicinal Herb Garden. This Asian species has long been used as an herbal remedy.

The garden also features an extensive collection of California native species, many unusual varieties of cacti and succulents, and plants from areas of the world with Mediterranean climates. It’s all incredibly gorgeous, and well worth a visit.

As always, my listings are an incomplete summary of monthly orchid shows. If you don’t find a nearby event, check with your local orchid society or gardening center about more shows or auctions in your area.

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It’s no wonder why we love Masdevallia orchids. These two stunning examples are now in bloom on our patio, with their big, neon flowers atop tall stems, bobbing in the breeze. Thanks to Dave’s great photography, it’s easy to enjoy their charms.

Believe it or not, both of these plants are the same species, Masdevallia coccinea. Native to high elevations in Colombia and Peru, they occur in many brilliant color varieties. No matter the hue, they need cool, moist breezes and frequent waterings. These orchids love living outside our foggy home on the Northern California coast. And we certainly love having them here.

Kew Science explains how new orchid species are discovered. Every year, scientists describe hundreds of additional orchid species. These discoveries emerge from plant specimens preserved in scientific institutions, and expeditions to unexplored jungles. Little-explored tropical rainforests abound in Southeast Asia, New Guinea, Indonesia, the Philippines, and many areas of the Andes. However, searching these remote regions doesn’t start with a trip to the jungle. Instead, it starts with many trips to herbaria around the world to sift through extensive collections of dried plants. These contain many unknown or misidentified specimens, which are goldmines of orchid exploration. Finding and naming these new orchid species grows more urgent every day. Destruction of tropical forests pushes many to extinction before they can even be identified.

I’ve been digging deeper into our photos from the recent Pacific Orchid Expo, and these blooms jumped out to help greet spring. In the the USA’s Northeast, today is a welcome finish to a frigid, snowy winter. Here in California, spring is the end to our hopes that a rainy winter would replenish our reservoirs. It’s no fun to start the season with a major drought, but it does make me appreciate these blooms even more.

Take a peek at the secret life of orchids in the short video below. Smithsonian Ecologist Melissa McCormick explains how much wild orchids need fungi to survive. Many types of plants exchange nutrients with fungi, but orchids cheat this symbiotic relationship by eating their fungi instead. Fortunately, a little fertilizer will suffice with your orchids at home.

And don’t miss the detailed, 3D image of an Embreea orchid at Smithsonian Science! You can investigate the virtual flower from different angles. Click on the menu in the upper left of the 3D image to find a guided tour of orchid flower parts.

Orchids are full of surprises.With incredibly diverse shapes, colors, and fragrances, it’s hard to believe that these flowers are actually related to one another. No other flowering plant family has such rich palettes and fascinating designs. These examples from the recent Pacific Orchid Expo certainly prove my point.

Many of these lesser-known varieties are the ones which give orchids their fussy reputations. Growing them demands exacting conditions to match tropical climates, with precise temperatures, high humidity, and pure water. Fortunately, events like the Pacific Orchid Expo let me enjoy these remarkable flowers without all that hard work. I hope you enjoy them, too.

It’s the Year of the Ram, and Chinese New Year is a great time for orchids. For millennia, orchids, especially Cymbidiums, have been treasured in East Asia for their rich fragrances and graceful foliage. Nowadays, they are popular gifts and decorations for Chinese New Year, also known as Lunar New Year, or Spring Festival. Confucius cemented orchids into Chinese culture over 2500 years ago by praising their nobility and sweet fragrance. The first three photos below show modern examples of these celebrated Chinese orchids. These traditional varieties are smaller, and more expensive, than most modern Cymbidium hybrids.

Lunar New Year is celebrated in China, Japan, Korea, Southeast Asia, and in Asian communities throughout the world. Cymbidiums are always popular for the holiday, but so are Moth Orchids, Dendrobiums, Cattleyas, and others. The orchid hybrids pictured below are all great choices to wish happiness and prosperity in the new year. Read about other lucky flowers and fruits for Chinese New Year here. Happy Lunar New Year! Gung hay fat choy!