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All About Orchids

One very popular flower is the orchid. Most likely the reason for this is its exotic look. And even more unique, in the orchid family, is the black orchid. The black orchid's genus name is bulbophyllum. This specific orchid belongs within a species that can vary greatly with their appearance.

The name bulbophyllum comes from both the Greek and Latin. The greek "phyllon" means leaf descriptive of it's form, and the latin "bulbus" means bulb-like. This is one of the largest exotic plants in the Orchidaceae, or Orchid, family. And it is also one of the largest in the entire plant kingdom. The study of the black orchid is no simple task, as they number at about 1805 species.

The many different species of the bulbphyllum can vary greatly in their look, form, smell, growth pattern, and environment. This can make it difficult to identify and most times is done so by looking at the specifics and the structure of the flower on the plant.

The genus itself can range from anything like an erect plant to a winding root climber. This, again is why it is so important to have the specifics of identifying a true bulbophyllum. For this reason it can be extremely difficult for even the most experienced taxonomist and yet since it is so challenging it makes it all the more interesting.

The conditions that the black orchid can grown in also vary. They can thrive in countries from Austrailia, Africa, Southeast Asia, South America, and Papua New Guinea. Nearly one third of these species orignate from Papua New Guinea, making this forest diverse with these complex plants. Some of these forests are actually losing their natural setting, which is in turn inhibiting their growth.

There are several species that are under the threat of becoming extinct. Four are on the endangered list and unfortunately, two are critically endangered. The bulbophyllum filiforme is native to Nigeria and Cameroon where it grows in tropical or sub-tropical dry forests and is now on the critically threatened list because of the loss of its natural habitat. Another on that same list is the bulbophyllum Kupense, also native to Cameroon but this species grows in a sub-tropical moist montane.

The black orchid is both beautiful and exotic, not to mention intricate in its design. A common person may not be able to label a black orchid as such which makes it all the more interesting to those who study them and are able to differentiate.

Preserving the environments they grow in is very important so that we will be able to continue studying this obscure and complex plant.