273 PETALOIDE^ 



column and falls back, so that the flower being inverted, it stands 

 fairly over the latter. The moment a small insect touches its 

 point, the lip makes a sudden revolution, brings the point to the 

 bottom of the column, and makes prisoner any insect which the 

 box will hold. When it catches an insect, it remains shut as long 

 as its prey continues to move about ; but if no capture is made, 

 the lid soon recovers its position. The many strange forms found 

 among the orchid tribe mostly hinge on the question of cross 

 poUenization, and the ingenious devices which ensure this end are 

 truly marvellous. Orchideous plants are to be found in all climates 

 except the very coldest and driest ; they are most abundant in the 

 hot, damp regions of the tropics, where they exist in the greatest 

 profusion ; not, as in temperate countries, deriving their nourish- 

 ment from the earth, but supported by the moisture that floats 

 around them. Clinging to the trunks and branches of trees, to the 

 stems of ferns, and even to the bare rock, they seem to adopt the 

 habits of animals as well as to imitate their forms. In many cases 

 the flowers only are conspicuous, the plant itself consisting of 

 creeping, claw-like roots, and tufts of elliptical bulbs, from the 

 summit of which spring a few tough leaves and wiry, jointed stems, 

 which seem incapable of producing the curiously-shaped and finely 

 coloured flowers they are shortly to bear. Of late years, great 

 attention has been paid to the cultivation of exotic Orchideous 

 plants, and by imitating as far as possible their natural condition 

 great success may be obtained ; and if an orchid house be well 

 managed, some one or other of these curious air plants, as they 

 have been called, may be seen in bloom at all seasons of the year, 

 some clinging to broken potsherds, some to logs of wood, some to 

 cocoanut fibre, or simply suspended by wires from the roof of the 

 house. It is somewhat remarkable that endless as are the varieties 

 of form which the flowers of this tribe assume, their properties 

 vary but little. They furnish few, if any, medicines of importance ; 

 to the useful arts they contribute only a kind of cement or glue, 

 which is recommended by no particular excellence ; a nutritious 

 substance called Salep is prepared from the roots of Orchis mascula 

 and other species, but this is not extensively used ; and though 

 the flowers of many species are very fragrant, no perfume is ever 

 extracted from them. With the exception of Vanilla aromatica, 

 which is much used in flavouring chocolate and other sweetmeats, 

 no plant in the Order can be said to be extensively used, either 

 in the arts or sciences. On the other hand. Orchids may be almost 

 called the precious stones of the plant world. So enthusiastic do 

 cultivators become that they will often pay hundreds of pounds 

 for a single specimen of a new or rare sort, and the adventures of 

 Orchid-hunters in the tropics and the romance of the Orchid sale- 

 rooms in London are an astounding testimony to the fascination 

 of these strange plants. 



