Rare orchids are popular collector’s items
Orchids make up about 10 percent of all flowering plants on the earth. After reading this statistic, it seems like finding orchids would be no problem. But that’s not always the case. It’s true that some species of orchids are quite common. Other species, however, are very rare. These rare orchids are prized about all others because of their scarcity. And some of the rarest orchids are also the most beautiful.
Most hard-to-find orchids are rare because their natural habitat has been destroyed by human interference. Orchids are adaptable plants, but they do require certain conditions to survive. When tree cover is lost because of deforestation, they cannot survive. Also, when soil and water supplies are contaminated with pollution, orchids are weakened and die. It’s funny that we humans value what we’ve helped endanger–rare orchids– more than other orchid plants. The rarest orchids, the ones most affected by human action, are those that attract the most attention and biggest prices.
In any orchid variety, scarcity is often dictated by color. The rarest orchids usually have unusual coloration. For example, albino Phal Amboinensis is one of the most sought-after and rarest orchids on the planet. This striking plant has an enormously long stem and no pigmentation. The lack of color was caused by a genetic mutation in just one parent plant; therefore, there aren’t many other albino orchids found in nature. An effort has been made in recent years to imitate the genetic mutation that causes albino orchids in the laboratory. But since the lab-produced orchids aren’t as rare, they aren’t as valuable as their wild counterparts.
Cattleyas are another rare variety of orchid. They produce beautiful, delicate blooms and are extremely difficult to grow. Even veteran orchid growers could run into problems with Cattleyas; they are finicky about temperatures and sunlight and need just the right amount of fertilizer to blossom. But despite their scarcity and growing problems, Cattleyas remain one of the most sought after orchid varietals.
Some lady slipper orchids, which are members of the Paphiopedilum genus, are scarce because of over picking. Lady slippers were once ubiquitous in Great Britain and northern Europe, but they were brought near extinction by over harvesting. These days, lady slippers are very difficult to find in the wild, although their popularity with orchid aficionados makes them fairly easy to get a hold of in a specialty shop.
Typically, dark orchids are extremely rare. Blue and black orchids can be as hard to find as their albino cousins. One of the rarest dark species, Coeloyne pandurata, is known to grow in just a few places in Malaysia. This black orchid species fetches a hefty price because it is so scarce.
If you’re interested in buying a rare orchid, be careful how you go about making your purchase. Some sellers harvest orchids in ways harmful to the environment. Always ask where the orchid came from before you finish a sale. And though rare orchids can make an exciting addition to any orchid collection, you should be prepared to pay top dollar for them. Like any other collector’s item, rare orchids don’t come cheap.
