Winter Orchid Festival opened at the Botanical Garden of Moscow State University

“What a pity that the orchids have not yet blossomed,” the hero of one of the stories of the great Arthur Conan Doyle suffered. The hero can be understood, because the orchid is one of the most beautiful and unique representatives of the green world. Perhaps not to find a person who would not like this amazing plant. From ancient times to the present day, the plant symbolizes chastity, harmony, perfection.

Unlike a literary character, we will not suffer, but will go to the Apothecary Garden, the Botanical Garden of Moscow State University, where the annual winter orchid festival is open. Guests of the festival will see a wide variety of orchids from around the world, including very rare collectible specimens. The Botanical Garden of Moscow State University has one of the largest collections of orchids in Russia – more than 1000 species, forms and varieties from tropical and subtropical regions of the Earth, as well as 50 species and forms of orchids from temperate and cold climates. The unique collection is constantly replenished with rare specimens, and is actively used for scientific, educational and educational purposes.

There is no consensus among experts about the history of the origin of flowers: some believe that the birthplace of the orchid is China, others call South America. For the first time, the Greek thinker Theophrastus (IV-V centuries BC) reports about plants with this name. In his work on the medicinal properties of plants, he talks about flowers with two tubercles and rounded roots, which he calls “orchis” (translated from Greek “egg”). But perhaps the orchid is much older: a piece of amber found in the Dominican Republic with a piece of an orchid petal frozen inside is about 18 million years old.

In ancient Chinese manuscripts, records of exotic flowers were also found, and the Chinese alphabet had the hieroglyph “lan”, denoting the word “orchid”. One of the records, dating back to 700, tells of an artist who grew an unusual flower at home, and the legendary Chinese sage Confucius compared the phrases uttered by close friends with the delicate fragrance of noble plants.

Today, a fantastic flower has conquered the whole world. These noble tropical inhabitants grow on almost all continents, they are absent only in deserts and permafrost. There are more than 35 thousand species of orchids in the world. This flower can adapt to different climatic conditions, but most of all it loves a humid and warm climate. There is a beautiful legend that this flower was formed from fragments of a rainbow.

European countries could not resist the sophisticated beauty of exotic plants. In the 18th century, a botanist from England was presented with an orchid tuber sent from the Bahamas. A year later, an unusual flower bloomed at the scientist, the beauty and fragrance of which amazed the sedate Englishmen, and soon majestic exotic flowers of different colors bloomed in English gardens and greenhouses. From England began a triumphal procession of plants throughout Europe. In the 19th century, interest in orchids also swept Russia. Lovers could purchase both simple types of flowers and rare specimens from abroad, priceless private collections appeared. In the period from 1892 to the October Revolution in 1917, more than a dozen books on growing plants of the orchid family were published, most of which were written by domestic authors.

The second wave of interest in orchids came in the postwar years. Exotic flowers were brought to the USSR from German greenhouses owned by Goering. The Moscow Botanical Garden began to cultivate many varieties of tropical exotics.

The variety of orchids is huge and each of the varieties is beautiful in its own way. Now in Russia there are more than five hundred species of orchids. Many flowers are so unusual that they resemble fabulous dragons and other fantastic creatures. Thanks to the scientific approach, it was possible to adapt the capricious tropical inhabitants to home maintenance.

Some species of orchids growing in the wild are endangered. Back in the 19th century, people thought that orchids needed protection. Scientists have calculated that, unfortunately, by 2050, about half of the current number of orchid species will remain in Europe. Many countries are trying to preserve the wild species of this plant in botanical gardens, national parks and reserves. In 1973, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna was signed in Washington. According to this document, orchids are under the protection of international organizations.

The first protected plant was the lady’s slipper variety. 35 species of orchids are listed in the Red Book of Russia.

But back to the exhibition. Visitors will have a spectacular journey into an exotic fairy tale, because the plants are presented in the most natural form. The most rare and valuable orchids flaunt in glass cases. There are vampire orchids, bee orchids, the blackest and tiniest orchids, hairy orchids, tiger orchids, orchids of the most unexpected shapes and sizes with the smells of chocolate, banana bread, blue cheese, dust, cinnamon, tiramisu, fruit and even fell.

Specially for the festival, a rare orchid called “Darwin’s Star” or “Christmas Orchid” bloomed in the “Apothecary Garden” – Angrekum is one and a half feet, with a rich spicy night aroma. In nature, Darwin’s Star blooms from June to September, in culture – in December-January (hence the name “Christmas Orchid”). The Madagascar “Darwin’s Star” is notable for its very long nectary spur (up to 43 cm), as well as its connection with Charles Darwin and his theory of evolution.

The flower is similar in shape to a star and a comet. It is bright white in color, with a shiny, waxy surface that reflects even the smallest amount of light in the dark – for example, the light of the moon. As a result, Angrekum flowers seem to glow in the dark. This “trick” is needed by the plant so that the nocturnal pollinators on which it depends can more easily find fresh flowers in almost complete darkness. As the flower wilts, it turns yellow, then turns orange, and finally brown. The composition of the smell of “Darwin’s Stars” – 39 chemical components. It was Charles Darwin who suggested that Angrekum must be pollinated by some kind of nocturnal moth with an unprecedentedly long proboscis that can reach the nectar hidden in the tip of the flower’s spur. In scientific circles, such an assumption was immediately ridiculed, since the possibility of the existence of an insect pollinator with a 35-centimeter proboscis seemed absurd at that time. The hypothesis was confirmed only 21 years after Darwin’s death, when a new species of just such a night moth was discovered – a subspecies of the hawk moth Xanthopan morgani – this is the triumph of the theory of evolution!

Now the natural population of this species of Angrekum is sharply declining. It is believed that the orchid is not only beautiful, but also a flower useful from the point of view of the energy background. He has the healing energy of nature. is able to harmonize frustrated energy, put thoughts in order and rediscover the thirst for life, relieve fatigue, become kinder. “The view of orchids should be enjoyed in the same way as one enjoys kissing a woman or listening to poetry. Look at her with a long, attentive look. Admire the delicate contours and variety of patterns. From individual parts, go to the contemplation of the magnificent composition as a whole. Immerse yourself in the richness of tones and taste it with self-forgetfulness, with which you surrender to a good mood. Let none of its shades escape you, forming a variegated range, a pool of flowers into which you would like to dive and not emerge, ”the Czech gardener Jan Satrap said so beautifully about orchids.

Mikhail Kovalyov.

Author’s photo