VII 
ORCHIDS 
HE strangest and most beautiful of all flowers are to 
be found in the Orchid family. Sometimes of im 
mense size, they combine beauty of form with the 
most exquisite color, and are generally more or less 
fragrant. But they are not only remarkable on ac- 
count of their outward form; the admirable construction of 
their organs of fertilization is wonderful without compare. The 
strange resemblance of many Orchid blossoms to birds, insects, 
and butterflies is also very remarkable. They depend on insects 
for their fertilization and reproduction, and the flowers produce 
plenty of honey in curiously constructed nectaries for the re- 
freshment of their tiny visitors, which are of so great impor- 
tance to them. 
Orchids are mostly air-plants, living on trees in tropical and 
subtropical countries, and taking up their nutriment chiefly 
from the air by means of fleshy aérial roots. Fresh air is, 
therefore, a necessity to their growth. Many of these beauti- 
ful plants are extremely easy of culture, and several of the very 
best kinds will do well in a well-ventilated dwelling-house in 
sunny or half-shady positions. The stems and leaves are gen- 
erally fleshy, of a grotesque and picturesque appearance. The 
genus Cypripedium, or Lady-slippers, has, however, very orna- 
mental foliage springing directly from a crown of fleshy roots. 
