Many are interested in the question related to the name of this flower, namely, how is it spelled - archidea or orchid? Orchids are easy to distinguish from other plants because they share some very obvious, common derivative characteristics or synapomorphs. Among them are the bilateral symmetry of the flower (zygomorphism), many resuppant flowers, an almost always highly modified petal (labellum), fused stamens and fruits, and extremely small seeds.
And yet ... an archidea or an orchid?
The generic name for the genus is the orchis, also known as “orchis.” The name of the genus comes from the ancient Greek ὄρχις (Örkhis), which literally means "testicle", due to the shape of the twin balls in some species of these plants. Notice, not "archis", namely "orchis". Therefore, the answer to the question of how correctly - an archidea or an orchid, can be considered closed. The term "orchid" was introduced in 1845 by John Lindley in a treatise on botany in the form of a shortened form of Orchidaceae.
Orchid or archidea? Orchis orchis and its relatives
Orchis (Orchis) is a genus of the Orchidaceae family (Orchidaceae), found mainly in Europe and Northwest Africa, although its range extends to Tibet, Mongolia, and Xinjiang.
The original genus Orchis usually contained more than 1300 items. Since it was polyphyletic, it was divided into several new genera: Ponerorchis, Schizodium, Steveniella. They can be found in tropical forests and semi-desert areas, near the coast and in the tundra. Most types of neotropical orchids can be found in the southern part of Central America, in the north-west of South America.
Cultural significance
Orchids have many symbolic meanings in many cultures. For example, an orchid is the City Flower of Shaoxing settlement, China. Cattleya mossiae is the national Venezuelan flower, and Cattleya trianae is the symbol of Colombia. Honduras, Singapore and many other countries also have their own orchid species, mainly with a tropical climate.
The flower Lycaste skinneri has a beautiful white color and is the national flower of Guatemala, being known worldwide under the poetic name White Evening. The national flower of Panama is the so-called orchid of the Holy Spirit (Peristeria elata), or "Flor del Espiritu Santo". In all these countries, they certainly do not wonder what the name of this lovely flower is rightly called - an archidea or an orchid.
Plants growing off the coast of the Mediterranean Sea are depicted on so many cultural monuments in Europe. Flowers on Ara Pasis in Rome, for example, are still considered the only known specimen of orchids in ancient European art. That, in essence, is all that the reader should know about orchids (or archideas, if someone finds it difficult to admit their mistakes). Further, a curious reader can learn something new for himself about the origin of these charming plants.
Evolution
In a study published in the scientific journal Nature, it was suggested that the origin of orchids has much more ancient and deeper roots than originally thought. Extinct specimens of rare blind bees were already found in the resins of these plants. It is known that these prehistoric insects carried pollen even in the time of dinosaurs, which, by the way, often belonged to orchids.
The evolution of these colors is fraught with many mysteries. It is thoroughly known only that they are uniquely quite ancient. It may well be that orchids were generally one of the very first flowering plants. Estimates of American paleobotanists suggest that orchids could have blossomed and smelled even 100 million years ago when tyrannosaurs, triceratops and other giant extinct reptiles roamed the earth. For many florists, it will be news that the flowers that they so love to decorate their apartments and which they care for so reverently, once caught giant prehistoric dinosaurs!