Most popular Orchids, University Project, Please Help
 

Hey

I'm currently a 3rd year studying Biology at Durham University, England and I'm doing a project on orchids.

Could anyone tell me what you think the most popular type of orchids are .... e.g. if you say Phalaenopsis, are there any particular types that are most popular.

Also what are the most expensive orchids that people buy as houseplants?

Thanks very much

Hi Jmorgan and welcome to the OB. I conducted a pole here on the OB and Cattleya seemed to be the favorite, with Phals in second. I would say that 20.00 to 30.00 dollars US are a average that people pay for orchids but the more serious collectors pay in the hundreds for them. here's the link to the pole I did.
http://www.orchidboard.com/community...-alliance.html

it depends on how yousee and define popularity.. here in OB and among Orchid-growers, Cattleya Alliance tends to be the most popular group....

if you see from teh commercial point of view, Phalaenopsis has taken the market that Cattleyas had 20 years ago... the reason? easier to grow by inexperienced people, and easily available at almost any supermarket due to mass production....

When I am watching TV or browsing through magazines, the orchids that seem to be predominant are definitely phalaenopsis. They seem to be every where once you have an eye for spotting them.

A lot of people buy them instead of a flower arrangement because the flowers last for months and when they are spent they toss them in the trash.

There are two types of people who grow orchids: hobbyists and what I call "dabblers". The hobbyists are the serious growers who build large collections, usually of around 100-500 plants but sometimes in the thousands for greenhouse owners. The dabblers are those who buy one or two orchids at the florists, either as a centerpiece on a table, a plant by the windowsill, or as something that gets thrown away once it's done blooming (a throw-away pot plant).

Phalaenopsis are the undisputed, number one best selling orchid, and they appeal to both dabblers and hobbyists. They are easy to find, easy to grow, and cheap. They also have long-lasting flowers and can bloom multiple times throughout the year. These are the reasons why they are so popular.

Cattleyas are probably the most popular among hobbyists because their flowers are so showy, and fragrant. They appeal less to dabblers because they tend to cost a little more than Phals, and are a bit harder to bloom. They also take up more space unless they're miniatures.

The most expensive orchids that people buy as houseplants are slippers. It's hard to say whether they would be Paphs or Phrags; they're pretty much tied I think. This is because they cannot be cloned, so any slippers you buy are either grown from seed or are divisions. Slippers are not as commonly grown by the dabblers (though novelty Paph crosses and Maudiae hybrids are gaining popularity), but are quite popular with hobbyists, and some (like myself) are obsessed with them. Slipper enthusiasts are arguably the "craziest" of orchid growers. But to cite specific price ranges, the absolute cheapest you will usually find a slipper for is $30 (talking blooming size) while you can get Catts and Phals (among others) for $20 or less. I would say the average price for Paphs is about $40, and about the same, maybe a tad bit higher, for Phrags. This might vary by region. For most other common orchids the average is probably around $30. Multifloral paphs can cost $80-200 or more, as can larger divisions of Phrags, and when you talk awarded plants (reserved for the very serious hobbyist), they can easily cost thousands of dollars. Often awarded cultivars of other orchids are mericloned and the prices go down as they are mass-produced. This, of course, is not possible with slippers - all awarded individuals are divisions.

It really depends on who you ask. I think phals are the most popular among the general public because of their availability, and catts with people who have more access to orchids. Phragmipediums/paphiopedilums come a close third.

in my country it would be phal, then the den-phals and vandas all these 3 can easify find anywhere in nurseries. orchids is also consider feng-shui plants. and phals are extremely popular here during chinese new year!

I disagree that Phals are easier to grow than Cattleyas.
They are way more sensitive to overwatering and underwatering.
Easier to kill a phal than a cattleya

easier in the following sense:

1.- easier to clone and produce larger batches of plants
2.- easier and quicker to bloom (first time blooming) than Cattleyas, for commercial growers
3.- easier to keep alive and rebloom on a windowshill for those who just want to have a nive flower as long as it last, and when the plant die, just go to teh supermarket and get a new one...

here the cheapest (i mean supermarket) are the den-phals and vanda. price are about the same. the phals are more expensive, usually double or more the price. but there are very popular in home decoration regardless of the price. the rest are usually for the enthusiast... however, info from one nursery here, they usually stock more of den-phals & vanda, coz lots of people buy them. phals are more for the ones with more money