Luigi Berliocchi. The Orchid in Lore and Legend . Timber Press. 2000.

This well-researched book is an important addition to the world of orchid growers. It is illustrated throughout with black and white pictures taken from old books about this extensive plant family. In addition, sixteen full-colored plates taken from older books are included giving the reader just a glimpse of the various orchid species available today. Now let's take a deeper look at the book's topics.

Myths and Legends and From Prehistory to History are the topics covered in the first two chapters. The legends are fascinating. I wonder if any other plant group has given people such strange ideas? The chapter talking about orchids in history discusses the contributions made by many famous orchid hunters and collectors. The final paragraph of chapter 2 says it all:

..By the end of the nineteenth century the whole orchid ethos had changed. Orchid growing was no longer the domain of the privileged few, but rather of the large and wealthy middle classes. Huge specialist nurseries oversaw the importation and establishment of wild-collected plants. The germination requirements of orchid seeds finally became understood, making propagation easier and plants cheaper. Orchidmania was an era of dreams and adventures--it was to die, with so many other aspects of the old order, less tragically but equally completely, with the outbreak of the Great War. [Page 86]

Chapter five is where you turn for a good description of the various groups of orchids -- epiphytic, lithophytic, terrestrial, and saprophytic. Then a detailed discussion of the plant parts and their functions is presented. It amazes me that some orchids spend their entire life cycle underground.

Each of the main genera of orchids is discussed in chapter six. These are the ones you are most likely to see for sale in a florist shop or nursery. At this point in the book, I was thinking these plants must be difficult to grow for a beginner. Chapter 7 discusses the potting media, pots, light requirements, temperature needs, and moisture levels needed by the various genera.