Scientific jargon I learnt

[Ravi]

Came across terminology I found It educative:
Grouping of orchids:
Epiphytic , not parasitic.
Terrestrial
Lithophytic habitat : rocks.
Epiphytic scavenge ( if that is the correct word) the decaying leaves ,dead insects. Functions of aerial roots besides capturing moisture from the air also participate in CO2 , by virtue of having chlorophyll participate in photosynthesis- which explains rescue of damaged Phalaenopsis.
Another piece of info found interesting was phal and Vanda classified under monopodial shoots by virtue of upright shoots and Cattleya and Dendrobiums fall in sympodial shoots.
The main purpose of the spike besides its aesthetics is obviously reproduction by cross pollination but how much this achieved in orchids?
Info browsed and sourced from the internet

[Ray]

Monopodial literally means "single foot", whereas sympodial (feet together) plants have and spread by rhizomes.

I'm a bit confused by your last question. Of course the entire purpose of flowers is reproduction.

[Arizona Jeanie]

I believe there are actually some members of the orchid family that have no chlorophyll and are considered parasitic. One native that grows in the Arizona mountains is Coralroot, Corrallorhiza maculata. I've never heard of this being sold or collected by orchid enthusiasts, but I think it is actually a parasitic plant in the orchid family. You real botanists out there, please correct me if I'm mistaken!

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

Achlorophyllous Corrallorhiza spp. are considered mycoheterotrophs, (myco = fungus + hetero = other + troph = feeder), not true parasites. They are highly dependent on mycorrhizal fungi to provide nutrition for them. The fungi can also be the same symbiont as those as nearby trees or shrubs. The fungi can transfer nutrients from one organism to another via hyphae. It is far too complicated to discuss in a brief post like this. I recommend reading journals. I just gave you guys the basic run down.

FYI, as far as I understand it, true parasitic behavior entails the organism living off the host organism at the detriment of the host.

parasite | Definition of parasite in English by Oxford Dictionaries

Corrallorhiza spp. do not kill the trees or shrubs it lives near, nor does it really kill off entirely the symbiotic mycorrhizal fungi.

[Ravi]

Dear Ray
Thanx for the reply, regarding my last query,
Drawing a comparison between terrestrial plants which generally propagate by the transference of pollen (when they stick to the feet of insects like the butterflies as they feed on the nectar of the flower) from one flower to the other as the butterflies hop from flower to flower, called pollination, the query was how much an orchid benefits thru it’s spike to propagate this way? Considering that these plants are brought up in a man made controlled environment ,or home growing environment, pollination appears remote .Supposing, that these plants have grown in their natural habitat will pollination help even with their most alluring spikes?
The word cross pollination be read as pollination , a technically correct term.
Therefore, how do the orchids reproduce in their natural habitat?

[Ray]

Orchids reproduce in nature just like other flowering plants, through pollination and dispersal of seed.

Orchids are somewhat unique though, as the seed generally does not carry any energy stores, so must be "infected" by a fungus, which pumps sugars directly into the cells to provide the energy for germination.

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

The most efficient way of reproduction for an orchid is, as was mentioned prior, sexual reproduction - aka pollination (as with many other flowering plants). It is irrespective of them being in cultivation or in the wild. Asexual reproduction is too slow, does not offer the numbers needed to sustain a stable population to ensure the species' survival, nor does it offer a whole lot of genetic variation/genetic recombination.