Orchid fever

摘要

Exotic, Captivating, and seductive, orchids have long fascinated plant lovers. They first attracted the attention of Westerners in the 17th century, when explorers brought back samples from South America and Asia. By the mid-1800s, orchid collecting had reached a fever pitch, not unlike, that of the Dutch tulip craze of the 1630s, with rich (and rapacious) collectors hiring emissaries to strip, the jungles and forests bare. Today the passion aroused by these beautiful plants is as strong as ever. Who can forget the colorful, orchid-obsessed characters of Susan Orlean's The Orchid Thief? As the largest plant family in the world, Orchidaceae boasts over 30,000 species, divided into over 800 genera. And this does not include the countless hybrids created over the past half-century! South America and Asia are home to many of the more familiar orchids, but there are others that live in deserts, swamps, and even the Arctic regions. Appearances are eclectic as well. Orchids come in every color of the rainbow, including the rare and most sought-after blue. Shapes and sizes vary as well.