Moon orchid

The moon orchid is a species of orchids given the scientific name Phalaenopsis amabilis. It was officially discovered in 1825 by Karl Ludwig Blume, and grows all over eastern and southeastern Asia. It can live in seasonally dry areas, seasonally cool areas, and constantly moist or humid areas. It is the largest flower in its genus with yellowish white petals, fleshy, leathery leaves, and a short stem. The moon orchid reproduces sexually by means of pollination.

Anatomy


The moon orchid (Phalaenopsis amabilis) is an orchid that has a shorter stem than other orchids from the family of Orchidaceae. The reason for this is said to be an adaptation to gain the light requirements needed to grow, according to Eric A. Christenson. The leaf sheaths that are on this plant completely enclose this plant. On average, the leaves of this orchid number in the range of about five. The plant usually has only a few leaves, but on rare occasions, it will have over five leaves. These leaves have a leathery feel that can be described as, "fleshy." The shape of these leaves by definition are "largely obovate-oblong or elliptic or oval-elliptic or oblong-oblanceolate." The color of these flowers are usually a white color. They are actually one of the whitest in color orchids in the family. Besides the lip which can be marked with a yellow to a rarely red color, the sepals and the pedals are of a milky white color. It has a yellow callus with brown spots. These flowers are usually about seven to ten centimeters. The sepals of this orchid are very spread out on the flowers. The length of life of this plant is generally long. Most plants do not stay alive as long as the moon orchid. This plant can also be scented slightly, although it can be hard to tell.

The somewhat recognizable anatomy of this moon orchid, can be easily distinguished from the different members of the family Orchidaceae. This plant is able to bloom for a long period of time and grows over ten centimeters in diameter. As for the roots of the moon orchid, unbranched is the usual system of rooting. The only exception for the roots being branched unlike usual is if the roots have been damaged in some way or if the plant has gotten too old for unbranched roots and they must be branched.

Reproduction
Phalaenopsis amabilis, otherwise known as the moon orchid, goes through the act of reproduction like any other orchid from the family of Orchidaceae. This plant goes through reproduction in the process of sexual reproduction, which is characterized by the process that passes a combination of genetic material to the offspring, as opposed to asexual reproduction which is reproduction which does not involve ploidy reduction, meiosis, or fertilization. The type of sexual reproduction that is demonstrated by the moon orchid is by means of pollination. Pollination is the process where there is a transfer of pollen in plants, which then enables fertilization and sexual reproduction. It performs this by growing its flower to attract the pollinator. This process is partly carried out by carpenter bees from the genus Xylcopa. The bees pick up the pollen and then carry it to the receptive part of this plant. This type of pollination is called biotic pollination. By definition, biotic pollination is the process of pollination that requires pollinators. It requires the use of organisms that carry or move the pollen grains from the anther to the receptive part of the carpel or pistil. The success rate of reproduction for this specific species, as opposed to all the other species in this family, is much higher than the others. Sexual reproduction by biotic pollination success rate for Phalaenopsis amabilis is about one out of two.

Ecology


The moon orchid was discovered about three or four hundred years ago. The white orchid was originally discovered on a small island near the east coast of New Guinea in 1653. Georgius Everhardus Rumphius was the man who claims the discovery of this orchid. He was a German botanist. When he first found this plant, he gave it the name of Angraecum ablum majus. The plant then went largely unnoticed until 1825, when it was rediscovered. Karl Ludwig Blume found this orchid and gave it the current name of Phalaenopsis amabilis. This species of orchid can generally be found in the the eastern to southeastern regions of the continent of Asia. These orchids, which are widespread in these areas of eastern Asia, are located specifically in China and Indonesia. Indonesia actually named it one of their national flowers, along with another two: Jasminum sambac and Rafflesia arnoldii. The moon orchid can actually be found in areas as far away as Australia. These orchids, much like other orchids in the family, naturally grow in three distinct habitats: seasonally dry areas, seasonally cool areas, and constantly moist or humid areas. In the seasonally dry habitats, moon orchids have an adaption to the habitat that it takes in which forces it to lose its leaves. The loss of leaves on the flower is due to the fact that in dry habitats, leaves can be a serious obligation when water isn't to easy to access. The adaption shown here generally is only found in species of this family outside the Himalayan region. As for the habitats that are seasonally cool areas, the species that are found in this region are all either deciduous or semi-deciduous in nature, meaning that these orchids have a strong dormant rest period. During this dormant rest period, the orchid is protected from the cold temperatures because of the high carbon to nitrogen ration and low water content in the leaf tissues. The constantly moist and humid habitats for the moon orchid can be the most common and obvious places that someone can find many of the Phalaenopsis species. In this place, this species can grow in canopy evergreen forests. Since they are grown in this canopy, the species' adaptation is for growing leaves that prevent extreme dryness, and to tolerate higher levels of light than other species.