Quote:
Originally Posted by jerrymay
Surely ,someone is selecting Tipularia. If it is that common(we have it here on Roanoke Island NC)
there should be a lot of variability and adaptability
Jerry
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I'm not certain what is meant by "selecting". If you mean selecting certain traits for breeding and growing, then I'd have to say, no, nobody is really doing it intentionally.
This orchid is very small and so are the flowers. People often do not know that this is an orchid at all. That single leaf is usually no larger than 2" in length.
Growing this orchid can be a challenge if the grower does not know what they're doing. They have tuberoids that are made out of cells that are akin to cells that make up a plant's stem. However, these stem tubers are very delicate and can be easily overwatered during growing season or when they are starting to go dormant. Since the tuberoids are tiny, if it starts to rot out, it will rot out completely in a matter of a couple days or so.
What's even worse is that these plants naturally don't produce a whole lot of roots. There may be no more than 3 - 5 roots per tuberoid; 5 being a fairly generous estimation, it often has far less than 5 roots. Each root is thin and is no longer than 1".
If I'm not mistaken, Tipularia discolor is autogamous, meaning they are self fertile and they will automatically self fertilize themselves if the pollinator doesn't show up to move the orchid's pollinia. The seeds from the self fertilization are viable and can sprout new seedlings if the right conditions are available at the right time.
Due to the possibility of it being autogamous and it being able to cross pollinate with other individuals nearby, that's probably why they are so abundant in the wild and why they show some variability; especially if not a lot of people know that they're orchids and do not pick them by the hundreds.
Orchid Whisperer 
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