Development & Aid, Environment, Tierramerica

Savage Beauty

May 20 2001 (IPS) - Orchids boast a profound beauty – which seems to originate at the beginning of time. In fact, according to data circulating on the always-well-informed Internet, orchids have been around for at least 120 million years.

Since then they have proliferated and spread throughout the world, with the exception of the ice-covered poles or the deserts. They are most abundant in tropical areas. There are 25,000 to 30,000 varieties of orchids in the forests, that is, naturally occurring orchids.

When talking about these flowers it is necessary to clarify whether one is speaking of natural species because there are numerous varieties in existence that have been created by humans who have been captivated by the orchid's savage beauty.

This obsession, one that can be traced back to ancient civilizations, has generated an entire ''culture'' surrounding the orchid, and includes gardening techniques, vast numbers of scientific classifications, societies and clubs of orchid hobbyists, trade, expositions, a specialized vocabulary, literature and art – especially photography.

The flower from the family orchidaceae, which possesses a complex biology, thrives in greenhouse gardens around the world. But in nature, these beauties face the same dangers as their natural habitat: the forest. The world of the orchid is shrinking due to widespread deforestation.

To enter the world of orchids on the Interne