Hello from frigid Michigan!

[EthansAdaptation]

Hello everyone I'm Ethan,

I'm in a college course called "Fundamentals of Design" and part of our assignment was to find something from nature with an interesting shape. Orchids have beautiful -- and in my personal opinion very sexy shapes. I recently purchased my first orchid. Phalaenopsis Amabilis. I'm still working on the project, which will be screen printed and presented on Tuesday Oct. 12!

What do Orchids symbolize/mean to you?

What makes orchids unique/interesting?

Thanks everyone, really enjoying the site

[Royal]

Hi Ethan,

Welcome to the OB!

FYI, The amabilis should be lower case since it is a species. A hybrid name (grex) would be capitalized, but species are written in all lower case and italicized or underlined (since it's Latin).

To me, orchids are all about the lip. That's what separates them from other members of the lily family. Another interesting aspect of orchids is their complex relationship to pollinators. This really drives the diversity of the family. Orchids will never cease to amaze me.

[RosieC]

Welcome to Orchid Board Ethan,

The shapes and variety of orchids is just wonderful to me, the more I look at them the more I like them.

[EthansAdaptation]

Phalaenopsis amabilis. Got it, thanks.

The various relationships orchids share with their pollinators are fascinating to me as well. With over 30,000 known orchid species the diversity is endless!

What do orchids want? Why do they do what they do? Is it that they want to survive? Or reproduce?

What do you think?

[Jkelee]

Hi Ethan!
Welcome to the FAB OB!! You'll fall in love with this site!
And, to me chids just wanna show off their BEAUTY!!! And to be LOVED and Tenderly cared for by their owners to live forever with us!!

[EthansAdaptation]

Thanks for that, love the idea
that orchids want to show off.

[Melody]

hey, Welcome to the boards!

When you say you are studying design do you mean graphic design? I'm an artist so I have to ask.

Regardless, it looks like you might have a bit of interest in semiotics (which is what I did my thesis on). To me orchids can symbolize class or sophistication as well as exoticness, grace and beauty. But personally I like them because they are pretty and wierd.

Although the flowers are pretty unique and interesting I don't think the plant itself should be overlooked. I love the fact that they are plants that aren't grown in "dirt" and many are epiphytes. Their foliage can be as unique as the flowers themselves. ...and the roots! ="Alien fingers"

[EthansAdaptation]

I like to think of design in many different applications but yes, graphic design/communication arts is my major, going on three years now

lol I just recently re-potted a Phalaenopsis and got to see all those "alien fingers"

Thanks for the post,
Semiotics is a wonderful thesis topic

[Ray]

If you're thinking "design", the the form and function of orchid plants may be one way to go.

Your phalaenopsis, for example, has very little in the way of water storage, and those big, flat leaves would lose a lot of water through transpiration, but 1) the plant has evolved to having very few leaf stomata, 2) they are more concentrated on the bottom of the leaves, and 3) they close in the daytime, when the %RH is generally lower. They tends to live in deep shade, so the leaves tend to be broad to absorb more light.

Contrast that to a cymbidium having pseudobulbs to store water, and they have long, thin, strap-like leaves to dissipate the heat of growing in bright conditions,

OR...

Look at the flower structure in relation to pollination schemes.

[Royal]

Originally Posted by EthansAdaptation

What do orchids want? Why do they do what they do? Is it that they want to survive? Or reproduce?

What do you think?

Sex. Just like most other plants and animals, having progeny is the meaning of life. Sex is the end goal, and the reason for the production of flowers. Those who do it well pass on their genes. It's all about the sex.