Naturally Frilly Petticoat-- Yellow Cattleya, Orchid

Passmoore, Works Of Alexander & I.V.

It's a floral cuckoo. Using its bewitching aesthetics, the bloom takes advantage of man's pursuit of beauty -- ensuring its continued existence in the protected environs of horticulture. Cuckoos stumbled upon a most reliable opportunity: placing their young in the nests of other birds. And in like manner, many orchids have emigrated fortuitously into the world of horticulture. No longer do they have to worry about mycorrhyzal associations for seed germination. No longer do they rely upon ever dwindling populations of Euglossine bees for pollination. Not even the whims of changing climatic patterns bother them; greenhouses supply more than enough hydration and nutrition. Yes, the frilly Cattleyas have tricked man into doing everything for them. At least it's a somewhat agreeable parasitism. Series Description: Monocotyledons of the first order, their 30,000 species-strong presence is a coup in the plant world. See also the Cymbidium and more general Flowers series.