Orchid History

Researching the history of orchids is almost as fun as growing them. Orchids have captured the curiosity of generations since the time of Theophratus (372-287 B.C.). He was a student of Aristotle's and thought orchids had medicinal qualities. Orchids have been sought through the years for their beauty and fragrance. They were the subject of watercolors by the ancient Chinese and Japanese who prized their long graceful leaves and wide variety of colorful blooms. Confucius (551-479 B.C.) wrote often about orchids, comparing the scent of their blooms to the joys of friendship.


The Lady-of-the-Night, pictured here, is known for its fragrance, which increases as evening approaches.



In the 1800's, orchidmania hit Europe, and expeditions were made to the New World to locate these jewels of the jungle. Unfortunately, most of these orchidists were not experienced in orchid cultivation and untold numbers of orchids vanished as they perished in greenhouses that were either too hot or too cool. Many European collections of orchids, which survived being uprooted from their native habitats, died during the horrors of World War I. However their uncertain past, orchids have maintained their popularity, and are grown by gardeners the world over.

Orchid sites are all over the Internet:

For an interesting web site featuring orchid screen savers, click here.

For another great site, try The Orchid House.

For other orchid links, click here.

To visit my parakeet, Joey Lemonhead, click here.



Return to Backporch Orchids.