Orchids are a kind of flower plant that a part of Orchidaceae family, there are more than 25,000 species of orchids notified entire the world. Orchids flower is one of the favorite of flower lovers, various form, color and beautiful flower characteristic make people love this flower.
Most of this plant tribe lives as epiphytes, especially who come from tropical area. The varieties grow surround the wet tropical area to circumpolar territories, however tropical areas are their major habitat. Orchid that grow in mid climate area usually live in soil, bulbous as adaptation mechanism to adapt to the winter. Orchid that live in tropical area have more growing media, even though majority of them lives as epiphytes.
Orchids is a part of Indonesia Natural Wealth, there are more than 6000 species of orchids grows inside Indonesia rain forest, placed Indonesia as the second largest orchids species after Brazil. From that species amount, some of them are endemic orchid’s species of Indonesia.
The species amount is still growing, because there are some new species found from natural habitat inside deep rain forest in Borneo, Sulawesi, and Papua. Some species such as Dendrobium kelamense D.Metusala is the new species Borneo endemic that found in 2000, as published by Malesian Orchid Journal, March 2010 edition.
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Orchid cultivation.
Originally orchids is wild forest flower, but now this flower already very close with human activities, such as other flowers, orchid flowers now becoming a part of important garnish in modern human culture. Some of orchids identified as important flowers commodity, trade as a flower or flower plant for home decorations to religious purpose. The more beautiful and rare, more difficult way of treatment, will be more expensive.
In Indonesia orchid cultivation generally done by small flower farmers, there are almost no big investor plays in this agro business field. Indonesia farmers generally cultivated orchids varieties like Dendrobium, Phalaenopsis and Vanda, the third species of orchids are the types that have been commercially among thousands of other species in Indonesia.
Black Orchid (Coelogyne pandurata).
Black Orchid (Coelogyne pandurata), is one of the most wanted Orchid in Indonesia, this species come from Borneo and Papua Island as their origin habitat. The form, color, and details of flower are all beautiful and unique, so that this orchid is expensive.
This orchid species formally classified as rare plants, their original habitat is in deep rain forest of Borneo and Papua. The main threat to this beautiful flower is come from deforestation on those islands.
Threats and protection:
Orchids are part of biodiversity that must be preserved, moreover threats to species preservation is quite large and not just come from one cause. Deforestation, climate changing and illegal extraction are some of problems that threat it’s survival. Indonesia government already have formal rules that apply to protect this rare species.
There are at least 29 of orchids varieties that protected by the government of Indonesia. Here are some of them:
- Ascocentrum miniatum
- Coelogyne pandurata
- Corybas fornicatus
- Cymbidium hartinahianum
- Dendrobium catinecloesum
- Dendrobium d’albertisii
- Dendrobium lasianthera
- Dendrobium macrophyllum
- Dendrobium ostrinoglossum
- Dendrobium phalaenopsis
- Grammatophyllum papuanum
- Grammatophyllum speciosum
- Macodes petola
- Paphiopedilum chamberlainianum
- Paphiopedilum glaucophyllum
- Paphiopedilum praestans
- Paraphalaenopsis denevei
- Paraphalaenopsis laycockii
- Paraphalaenopsis serpentilingua
- Phalaenopsis amboinensis
- Phalaenopsis gigantea
- Phalaenopsis sumatrana
- Phalaenopsis violacose
- Renanthera matutina
Orchid is part of biodiversity that must be protected, not only because of its beauty, but because of its role in ecological balance, either we already know or that is still hidden.
