ABSTRACT
Orchids belong to the Monocotyledonae-their closest relatives are probably lilies and like most other monocots, their floral parts are in multiples of three. Sometimes the sepals and petals are similar, as in Aerangis; sometimes the sepals are small and green and the petals larger and coloured, e.g. Eulophia speciosa. Orchids are insect pollinated. When an insect visits a flower, the viscidium or viscidia become attached to some part of the insect’s body, usually the head, and it flies away bearing this and the attached pollinia; at the next flower visited, these may become stuck on the receptive stigmatic surface. Orchid seed is very fine and dust-like and is wind dispersed. Because the seeds are so small, they do not have a reserve of food for the developing embryo as is the case in most plants, but require the presence of certain fungi (mycorrhiza) to develop.
