Most of the trees growing densely in the forests of the Western Ghats are home to several beautiful varieties of orchids. These plants cling to the tree trunks and absorb water and nutrients through aerial roots. Most of them bloom once a year, and produce seed pods which often take another year to mature. Each pod bursts open to disperse thousands of microscopic seeds which are carried away by the wind and deposited on the mossy surfaces of tree trunks. A few germinate to produce young plants. Rarely, a new strain develops from the cross pollinated seeds.
Here, in the mountains of Wayanad where I live, it is common for ferns and orchids to grow on shady trees. This orchid plant, probably a vanda, growing on our jackfruit tree, bloomed in its second year. The white and purple blooms are sweetly scented. These lasted for a couple of weeks, until the snails made a feast of them!
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