CHRISTINA'S "FLOWERS OF BELIZE" SERIES (PART SEVEN)

Brought to you by Black Orchid Management, Ltd.

If you were to ask me what I like most about flowers, I will tell you, they make me happy.  They are beautiful to look at.  Have you ever seen someone gaze upon a beautiful flower and stay in a bad mood?  NEVER!  Flowers, lift our spirits, they can change our mood, they make us happy and it is the one way, that we can tell someone we love them, simply by handing them a flower.  Please follow me on my journey through the Belize rain forest jungle, to explore all the different flowers there are to see.  I sincerely hope you enjoy my series entitled "Flowers of Belize". 

BLACK ORCHIDS OF BELIZE
My mother loves black orchids, as they have become somewhat of a soft spot in her heart.  For those of you who didn't know, Belize's national flower is the Black Orchid. 

There are only 100 varieties of orchids found in Belize.  The flower is actually not black at all, but a purple, light yellow color.  It is one of the few Orchids here, that flowers all year long. 

The flowers are unusual, in that through the labellum is usually below the column in the orchids, in the members of Prosthechea family - the labellum forms a "hood" over the column.  This makes the flower effectively upside down, or non-resupinate. 

There are two main types of black orchids; terrestial (which grow on the ground) and epiphytes (which grow on trees).  Also, there are many more types of black orchids, like "Black Pam" and a few hybrides, all with names I can't pronounce. 

Black orchids are mysterious flowers. In reality, the black orchid is just and exotic and intriguing flower that is becoming a rarity as each day passes by, due to the continuous destruction of its natural environment.

Here are some Black Orchid Facts:

• Family: Orchidaceae
• Origin: Black orchids derive their name from the Greek “orchis”, which is the Greek word for testicle. Therefore, the black orchid was seen as a symbol of virility.
• Sun exposure: Black orchids prefer partial sun exposure.
• Height: Black orchids grow from 6 to 12 inches tall.
• Soil: Soil containing pine bark, osmunda fiber and fir bark is best for growing blue orchids. The soil should have a PH balance and a suitable texture for growing blue orchids.
• Leaves: Bright green in color, long, smooth and textured.
• Blooming time: From July to September.
• Maintenance: Black orchids are friendly flowers, they easily adapt to any environment. However, you should know that they prefer a warm temperature, not too hot, neither too cold.
• Propagation method: Black orchids may be propagated using six methods: through division, by keiki, areal cuttings, meristem or tissue culture, which is a scientific method of propagating black orchids and last but not least, black orchids may be propagated through seeds or they can be obtained from dyeing white orchids with black dye. Also, white orchids can be dyed with black dye, becoming black orchids.