The Orchid

The orchid is the national flower of Colombia. Also, orchids are one of the most valuable assets of Colombia and well known around the world. This beautiful type of flower specifically the Cattleya Trianae is the one that represents Colombia.

According to a legend from Latin mythology, the son of a faun and a nymph, known as Orchis, after his death, came to life in the form of an orchid. From this moment, men who want to seduce a woman, usually give her a bouquet of orchids from which arises an uncontrollable passion.
The orchid is considered a very effective aphrodisiac although it is unclear if its wonderful effects is due to its delicious aroma, their strange and exotic way or just the legend.

Many orchids grow wild: on the rocks, on trees, and on the ground. In Colombia, orchids appear from the sea to the high mountains, at altitudes between 300 and 3850 meters, flowering during the months of March and April.

Orchids are distinguished from other plants or flowers by some floral characteristics. Flowers open on any other flower stalks, however, during development, the stem is rotated 180 degrees, so that the mature flower is upside down.The three sepals and two of the three petals are usually similar in color and shape, however, the remaining petal called lip, is always different from others: bigger, different color and shape.

 

In the late nineteenth century came the great European orchid boom. The boatloads of these were western countries' plants to Europe for the courts of the nobility. However, orchids are not aristocratic plants, and are not very expensive and difficult to grow. Maybe they were in the nineteenth century, but today when you travel to Colombia, especially in the departments of Antioquia, Caldas, and Valle del Cauca, runs into precious orchid with familiar names such as: Josephine, beetles, Rod San Jose, May Flower, grow in post or open their petals to the roofs of mud.