Orchids are classified in the family Orchidaceae which contains the

largest group of plants on Earth. There are more than 25,000 known
species of orchids and more are being discovered every day. The orchids
are recognized as the most highly evolved plants with one of the widest
distributions. They come in many sizes from miniatures whose flowers
need to be seen with a magnifying glass to giants that grow vines up
to 100 feet or weigh tons. They are found on all continents with the
exception of Antarctica and Arctic regions. As a result of their wide
distribution, orchids have some of the most diverse species imaginable.

The growth patterns of orchids can be broken down into two main groups.
Sympodial growth is characterized by new growth from the base of old growths
in a semi-linear manner. Examples of sympodial plants are Cattleyas, Dendrobiums
and Oncidiums. Monopodial growth has one primary stem from which all leaves and
flowers grow. Examples of monopodial plants are Vandas, Phragmipediums and
Phalaenopsis.

Orchids are also classified by how they grow. Epiphytes grow on other vegetation;
lithophytes grow on rocks; terrestrials grow in or on the ground; and saprophytes
grow under leaves or even underground. The majority of tropical orchids are
epiphytes
or lithophytes; temperate orchids are usually terrestrial.

The orchid flower is the main predicator of whether a plant is an orchid or not.
The flower must have three sepals and three petals, with the third petal or lip
modified and differentiated from the other two. In most cases the flower is the
same on both sides of the flower as in a mirror image and perfectly symmetrical.
The main test is the fusion of the male and female parts in a structure called a
column with a complete separation so that it is almost impossible for the flower
to self-pollinate naturally.

Orchid seeds are also different from other types of plants. The pod or capsule
can contain millions of seeds. These seeds are tiny and contain no food storage
capacity as do most other plant seeds. Orchids depend upon specific types of fungi

in order to germinate and develop. You can understand why millions of seeds are
needed in order to keep a species going if the seed will only grow in the right
place, where there are the correct fungi and under proper conditions.
Under laboratory conditions, the vast majority of seeds can be germinated and this

is one of the main reasons that the costs of orchids has gone down enormously
since
the 1920s when the modern method of germinating and growing seed was discovered.
The last major development that reduced the cost of orchids was the development of

mericloning. This produces clones of the mother plant and allows growers to know
exactly what the flower and plant will look like when they get a seedling or
mature
plant.