Orchid Pictures

To see our full collection of
Orchid pictures

“Orchids (Orchidaceae family) are among the most diverse of the flowering plant families, with over 1000 described genera and 25,000 (some sources give 30,000) species, and perhaps another 60,000 hybrids and varieties produced by horticulturalists. The Kew 'World Checklist of Orchids' gives about 24,000 accepted names. About 800 new species are added each year.” (From the Wikipedia.)

Some of the most attractive pictures in our online collection are the series of orchid pictures taken by Emmanuela “Juza” Affaticati. These pictures focus specifically on one genus of orchid, the Phalaenopsis – a name which is a combination of Greek words translating as “moth like.” When originally discovered, the scientists who named these orchids thought that they seemed to “glow and flutter like a swarm of moths,” thus explaining the nomenclature.

Juza’s orchid pictures present this otherworldly wonder of nature from a number of perspectives that highlight the uniquely strange and beautiful shape of his subject. Each petal on every blossom has an intricate network of luscious purple veins that are brought into sharp effect by the light greenish-yellow tones that surround them. More remarkably colorful, however, is the column or gynandrium, located in the center between the petals and serving as the orchid’s reproductive organs – both male and female; the subject in Juza's orchid pictures has a column infused with bright hues of purple, orange, and blue, most likely used to attract insects to the orchid.

This reproductive configuration is especially unique because instead of producing pollen that is powdery and easy to spread, small pellets of pollen – called pollinia – are produced that can only be spread from orchid to orchid by certain species of insect. It is because of this system of reproduction that orchids require very specific conditions; accordingly, if there is any disruption in the natural patterns, catastrophic events may occur and possibly wipe out entire species.

It is not surprising, then, that wild orchids are protected as endangered species and are illegal to harvest. There is, of course, a certain amount of black market activity because certain species of wild orchid are very rare and highly prized for their beauty. Phalaenopsis orchids, however, are very highly common in cultivation because of the ease with which they adapt to artificial conditions. It is interesting to note that when orchid collecting became popular in Victorian times, the Phalaenopsis was one of the first to become commonly collected.

The adaptability of orchids is perhaps their most fascinating feature; the beautiful colorations for which orchids are so highly valued are caused by the natural process of adaptation. Those self-same colors are precisely the reason that orchids, while delicate, thrive both in nature and in cultivation. After all, the colors that attract a bee to the lip of a blooming orchid are the same reason that an avid collector might want to have an orchid - or orchid picture - of their own, and so therefore the species continue to propagate, whether by natural or artificial means.

Please feel free to browse our selection of orchid pictures, and remember that any one of these striking photographs is an example of natural beauty preserved for all time. If you find the Phalaenopsis orchid as strikingly beautiful as we think you will, why not add one of Juza’s gorgeous orchid pictures to your collection, and give a touch of the natural and exotic to your living room or office!

Jeff James, 2004