Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi.

I was wondering why so much people have these plants in their vivs. They just look like regular old flowers to me.

Whats so facinating about them? Is there some secret 'coolness' to these plants that im missing? Is it the beautiness of the flower? Leaves? etc. If someone can explain to me why their so popular, i might consider buying one.

Also, i have a few questions.

How hard are they to keep thriving? How big do they get? How much watering do they need? etc.

I apprecaite all those who answer, and pls dont take this as an attack in any way =)

Thanks!
Geoff

Have you actually seen a variety of orchids in person? Orchids are very exotic plants and do not look 'like a normal flower' at all. The rhizomes and pseudobulbs as well as leaf growth are all extrordinary....the are extraordinary plants from the tiop of the stamen to the tips of the roots. Grwoing them comes hand in hand with vivariums as most vivs provide optimal growing for these delicate and 'picky' plants. I myself keep Dendrobium and Phalaenopsis and plan to venture into the some miniature Peruvian Epidendrums (I'm a purist that will be used in my latest 20 gallon high vertical tank which will house a group of red amazonicus this spring (hopefully, if not, then imitators). Orchids are gorgeous plants...not only in their flora but as a whole. Even when some are not in bloom, the plants themselves are stunning!! Do yourself a favor and get into them...you won;t regret it.

-Bill J
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Updated list as of: 11/7/03
2.2.3 D. azureus
1.2 D. ventrimaculatus 'yellow' (22 tads in the water)
3.3 D. tinctorius 'cobalt'
0.0.3 D. tinctorius 'patricia'
0.0.1 D. tinctorius 'giant orange'
0.0.1 D. tinctorius 'citronella'
0.0.2 D auratus 'zwartgroene(Panamanian black and green)'
0.0.5 D. auratus 'green/black'
0.0.3 D. imitator 'Alex Sens line' (very soon)
0.0.2 D. reticulatus (soon)

sorry...I'm dog tired and probably should have been in bed instead of posting that. hehe

bill
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Updated list as of: 11/7/03
2.2.3 D. azureus
1.2 D. ventrimaculatus 'yellow' (22 tads in the water)
3.3 D. tinctorius 'cobalt'
0.0.3 D. tinctorius 'patricia'
0.0.1 D. tinctorius 'giant orange'
0.0.1 D. tinctorius 'citronella'
0.0.2 D auratus 'zwartgroene(Panamanian black and green)'
0.0.5 D. auratus 'green/black'
0.0.3 D. imitator 'Alex Sens line' (very soon)
0.0.2 D. reticulatus (soon)

I was wondering why so much people have these plants in their vivs. They just look like regular old flowers to me.

I guess everyone has different views of what beauty is. I personally think (in fact, I thought it was a common belief) that orchids have some of the most beautiful flowers on the planet.

Whats so facinating about them? Is there some secret 'coolness' to these plants that im missing? Is it the beautiness of the flower? Leaves? etc. If someone can explain to me why their so popular, i might consider buying one.

Like I said, the flowers. Maybe you've only seen a particular variety that didnt do much for you. Look at more! There are hundreds of varietys from flowers that are as small as pencil erasers to as large as baseballs with colors from blue to orange with spots of yellow and purple. These flowers can last for months with blooms several times a year! Also, yes, sometimes the leaves can be pretty too. The pathiopendilum (sp?) variety which I currently have in my hexagon has purple spots on its leaves.

How hard are they to keep thriving? How big do they get? How much watering do they need? etc.

Thats the tricky part. They can be extremely difficult to maintain in a typicly damp humid dart frog vivarium. Without adequate ventalation they will rot, and yet they still need to be misted a few times a day. How I keep mine going is an automated misting system that sprays about 10 times a day, and ventalation fans that blow air into the tank for 10 minutes a half hour after each misting. As I said, there are hundreds of varieties. There are plenty of great choices that stay small enough for a small vivarium, heres a link to a website that has a few examples; www.poison-frogs.nl/e0405.html

I hope this post helped you see why orchids are so popular, and It makes you consider trying one in a vivarium. The reason I keep trying with them is the goal to succeed in getting one to flower. I know it will be a very fulfulling experience because I myself have failed a couple times in the past. I think Im on the right track though because all 3 I have in my tank are growing roots like crazy and have produced a couple new leaves. Im hoping for the best, but I know I have to be patient. Anyway, good luck with anything you decide to do! Talk to you later.
-Daivd Taylor

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"The day we would limit ourselves or adapt to the music scene, would be the day Opeth dies." -Mikael Akerfeldt; lead singer and genious behind the metal band Opeth.

My opinion pf why they are so widely used is because of thier flowers, and that the only way to get some of them to flower is in a vivarium. Its up to you if you want to spend the money for them, but I think that they are almost as cool as some of the frogs themselves.

Most people love orchids for just all the reasons everyone else has listed. So let me add a little that you and probably they aren’t aware of.

Firstly the Orchidaceae, the family to which orchids belong, represents one of the largest and most highly evolved plant families. There are some 25000 species of orchids world wide and at least that many cultivars. They are distributed from boreal forest to the heart of the rainforest and found on every continent except Antarctica, which makes the family one of the broadest ranging as well.
Orchids show an immense array of adaptations. There are epiphytic species (as an aside, orchids make up over 80% of all epiphytes, taxonomically speaking) which have no leaves or stems and are solely reliant on their roots for photosynthesis. These plants posses no stomata and to date their method of regulating gas exchange and water loss is not fully understood. On the other extreme there is a species which posses no roots and lives in water as a floating rosette of leaves. In between these two extremes is a whole continuum of vegetative morphologies.
Floristically orchids express even more extravagance. Firstly orchid pollen is not shed as individual grains, instead it is shed as one glob comprised of thousands of pollen grains. This is done to insure fertilization of all ovules on the receiving flower. Unlike most plants orchids produce thousands upon thousands of tiny spore-like seeds and to insure they are all fertile it necessary to “put all your sperm in one basket”. As for the flowers, many orchids are species specific for pollinators. Meaning one species of insect, bird, bat, etc… for one species of orchid. To achieve this many orchid flowers are highly modified so that only that one pollinator “fits”. In some instances a trap door method is employed, as is the case with Bulbophyllum lepidum. The flowers are scented of carrion to attract fly pollinators, upon arrival flys are drawn inward by the scent but only those of a certain size and shape can flip the trap door and pollinate the plant. In some species the pollinator lands on a trigger at which time the pollen is shot out of the flower via a catapult and stuck to the back of the insect. Once the pollen is released the stigma drops down and the flower is now ready for fertilization. Some orchids use sexual pheromones similar to the insect pollinator and a flower structure reminiscent of the insect female. The male is attracted by the pheromones, finds a “waiting female” and upon copulation with flower serves to spread the pollen. There are even species with color changing flowers. There is a species of Cattleya, extinct in the wild and not seen for sale since the early 70s, which produces white flowers and over the course of several days they turn deep velvet purple. The list of flora adaptations goes on and on and on…
Beyond pollinator relationships, some orchids share unique relationships with various insects. There is a praying mantis that has evolved to feed on the pollinators of a specific orchid. The mantis is camouflaged to look like part of the flower and when the pollinator comes it strikes. There is also a species of orchid which is myrmecophytic, meaning it shares a mutualistic relationship with ants. The plant has hollow psuedobulbs which the ants tenant.
Many orchids also share symbiotic relationships with fungi. Quite a few temperate terrestrial species share an obligate mutualism with mycorrhizal fungi. Many species are reliant on a fungal relationship as seedlings to be able to germinate and survive to adulthood. There are even saprophytic species which lack chlorophyll and are solely reliant on there fungal host for survival.

I know this was a long post but I was trying to give a brief overview what makes orchids so cool, but believe me I’ve only just scratched the surface.

I just leanred about the orchid mantis the other night on the Discovery Channel. You could not even see it inside the flower.
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Matt

I'm sorry, but maybe you have not seen any Orchids. I do not claim to be a plant guy by any means, but orchids are just cool.
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Kyle
www.kylesphotos.com
Dart Links - still a work in progress
1.2.0 D. leucomelas
1.1.0 D. azureus
1.0.1 D. imitators

Hi,

If you are not into plants you probably won't understand the excitement of growing something, giving it the right conditions to make it thrive and the thrill of seeing a spike, root or new leaf start (ie flower)....but the variety of orchids is just breathtaking. I was not at all into plants until I got frogs...but now I would say my obsession with orchids is worse than with the frogs!

Here is my Orchidarium I just got a few weeks ago...I was shocked that I was able to fill it with my collection...everything in it is an orchid except one plant in the front.

http://www.frognet.org/gallery/Orchids/Orchids3

Tammy

Sorry, didn't put the link in the right place

Tammy
Link

Did you build tht yourself, or buy it? Where did you get it if your bought it?
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Kyle
www.kylesphotos.com
Dart Links - still a work in progress
1.2.0 D. leucomelas
1.1.0 D. azureus
1.0.1 D. imitators

HI Kyle,

Bought it used but you can get them here if you have the $
www.orchidarium.com

Tammy
Link

WOW those are not cheap. Yours looks very nice though.
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Kyle
www.kylesphotos.com
Dart Links - still a work in progress
1.2.0 D. leucomelas
1.1.0 D. azureus
1.0.1 D. imitators

Kyle,

They are VERY expensive but want to know what I scored the one in my photos for....$100!!!!! Had to drive a couple hours to pick it up but well worth it. The bulbs alone are worth $65.

Tammy

How did you manage that? Ebay?
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Kyle
www.kylesphotos.com
Dart Links - still a work in progress
1.2.0 D. leucomelas
1.1.0 D. azureus
1.0.1 D. imitators

Kyle,

No, actually a kingsnake ad for someone selling a bunch of tanks and I asked about a size that would be large enough for orchids and she said she had a great tank for that but had something even better...an orchidarium....I was thrilled to no end! My mom is extremely jealous. She just got into orchids when I sent her some about 6 months ago. She was always afraid to try them despite always having a green thumb and loving plants...she is doing great with hers.

The most recent species I am excited about is Chiloschista...leafless orchids. Very unique plant and I have one now ready to pop its buds on TWO spikes. Will get photos of it when it blooms and post them on Frognet.

Tammy

Very cool, I just got my first orchid (Encyclia sp.) and have added it to my azureus tank. So far it seems to be doing well. I mounted it on the cork.
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Kyle
www.kylesphotos.com
Dart Links - still a work in progress
1.2.0 D. leucomelas
1.1.0 D. azureus
1.0.1 D. imitators

Kyle,

Is it a miniature species? Be sure it gets some air movement in the tank. Most orchids do not like stagnant air...
Tammy

Ya I have a small fan blowing in fresh air and its almost above where the orchid is.
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Kyle
www.kylesphotos.com
Dart Links - still a work in progress
1.2.0 D. leucomelas
1.1.0 D. azureus
1.0.1 D. imitators

Hello. In the past I asked the same question to myself; however, I decided to start off with keeping just one species of orchid in a viv- a ludisia discolor. Very bad idea. I am now so obsessed with these plants that my collection is now into about fifty or so species. Maybe it's my love of exotic things? Maybe it's the fact that they require more knowledge to take care of them? The fragrant species are well worth it just for the olfactory goodness that they provide...some even smell like chocolate. Nevertheless, many men have died just trying to collect these plants (read the book entitled THE ORCHID THEIF), but why? My thought is that these plants are using us as pollinators and methods of dispersal. They prey on our weakness for aesthethically pleasing things and, as a result, they are able to reach new territories (artificial ones however), reproduce (usually asexually). I have often pondered this idea that maybe it is not we who are using these plants to our advantage, but they too are using us for theirs- a mutualism of sorts. We cultivate many species of orchids on such a grand scale that we often have more of any given species in cultivation than they are present in the wild.

Prepare yourself before you get into keeping orchids because it is truly an addiction. I don't gamble, smoke, or drink (often)and sometimes wish I did due to all of the money I spend on these amazing wonders of the plant kingdom. Take heed.
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Justin
stk18119@loki.stockton.edu

D.auratus (Costa Rican, Nicaraguan)
D.leucomelas
D.tinctorius (lorenzo, yellowback, citro, pb, oyopock,etc.)
D.azureus
D.ventrimaculatus (yellow/gold)
D.pumilio (blue jeans, solid red)
P.aurotaenia (narrow bands/green)
P.bicolor
E.tricolor (Santa Isabel)
H. leucophyllata
P. hypochondrialis azurea
P. resinifictrix
A. caladryas
etc.......

Justin,
Stockton State in New Jersey?
They are addicting!!!!! But are you also located too close to an orchid nursery.
Tim

Speaking of Stockton ...

Justin,
Are all the frogs you list yours or are they part of the collection that Rob O'Donnel founded at Stockton?
Last thing I knew that collection was still going strong.

Donn

Tim, Donn,

Yes, I am close enough to take a trip to Waldor Orchids....and ebay sellers just keep throwing on the goods.

Anyway, I am the primary caretaker and decision maker for the program right now. It's still going strong with many thanks to Rob, Jeff R., Joe, and Robby. All of the frogs listed are currently in our program. Of course I have many of these in my own collection; however, the tree frogs listed are my own. Not all of what I have is listed by the way.

If you guys are local and want to come down and check out the collection get in touch with me and we can arrange things.

Have fun,
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Justin
stk18119@loki.stockton.edu

D.auratus (Costa Rican, Nicaraguan)
D.leucomelas
D.tinctorius (lorenzo, yellowback, citro, pb, oyopock,etc.)
D.azureus
D.ventrimaculatus (yellow/gold)
D.pumilio (blue jeans, solid red)
P.aurotaenia (narrow bands/green)
P.bicolor
E.tricolor (Santa Isabel)
H. leucophyllata
P. hypochondrialis azurea
P. resinifictrix
A. caladryas
etc.......

Justin,
I get up your way quite often. Next time I'm headed that way I'll get in touch and come take a look.

Donn