Queen of Plants

Considered the queen of the plant world, orchids are a sought after flower, especially in the west. However, this beautiful flower is also of the rarest and most meticulous to grow and find. Thriving in tropical countries like Taiwan, the Philippines and Indonesia, it grows in warm, humid climate but blooms in the cool months. Its rarity and beauty made it a very sought after flower and many people pay a lot of money to get their hands into this majestic work of nature.

Orchids are both beautiful and rare. They traditionally grow in the deep tropical jungle and attaching themselves to large trees. Mostly dispersed by insects and birds, orchids do not grow just anywhere. There must be a perfect combination of humidity and moist, temperature and climate in order for it to thrive, mostly in branches and trunks of large trees.

Since it is very difficult to find, transplant and care for, having orchids in historic tropical folklore signifies a higher status in society. It means the family has a skillful member that could find and transfer the orchids, or the family has the wealth to find such a rare and beautiful flower.  

The legend has since spread to the west like in the United States and Europe. Gardeners, hobbyists and flower enthusiasts grew curious about the majestic plant and the orchids’ popularity grew. Because the flower thrives only in the ideal tropical climate, there is no other way for people to get their hands on the best orchids but to buy saplings or cut flowers directly from countries that grow the flower. Many have tried transplanting the flower into controlled environments in the west, but those who come straight from the tropics are still known to be the best in terms of its color and beauty.

No country has perhaps dedicated much effort in the art and science of growing orchids than in Taiwan. Combining traditional methods handed down from generations spanning hundreds of years, and science to cultivate in a massive scale and breed the best orchids. In many parts of the rural island country families and small companies grow orchids by the thousands while working on shipments either seedlings or a flower cutting to huge markets like Japan and the United States.

Scientists and enthusiasts in Taiwan are also racing to produce the best breed, manually cross-pollinating various orchid varieties in order to create a perfect flower to catch the imagination of the flower world once again. Its annual competition is world-renowned and is often the launching pad for new varieties that will surely be on demand in other countries.  

Nature indeed has great surprises and orchids are one of those big packages. It truly is the queen of the plant world.