Feb 2012 The white orchid isn’t the source of vanilla, although it sounds as if it would be. In fact vanilla comes from grinding the underground tubers of the Early Purple Orchid, and this is the main commercial use of the plants apart from gardening and decoration. Astonishingly, the white orchid may have grown at the time of the dinosaurs, as a fossilised extinct type of bee has been found and it was carrying orchid pollen.
Knowing that the white orchid could be up to 84 million years old, adds to the mystique of this flower. These ancient orchids are now extinct but seem to be related to the white orchid called Ligeophila which grows in the Amazon.
While the white orchid often symbolises perfection and purity, the spots on orchids may also be seen as representing the blood of Christ. All white flowers have this significance, and the white orchid also signifies innocence, satisfaction and respect. As a gift the white orchid is ideal for romantic partners, mothers and friends alike as the message transmitted is ‘thank you’, ‘with respect and affection’, ‘forgive me’, and ‘you are the best mother, friend or sibling’.
Although the white orchid was once thought to be the flower of the wealthy because it was so hard to propagate, it is now within reach of all of us. For brides the white orchid is one of the most desirable flowers to decorate the church, the wedding feast, and the bouquets. Ambiguously, the white orchid is at once the symbol of hope and purity but also considered erotic and exotic. The name of the white orchid comes from orchis, meaning testicle, and there’s something sensual about the whole plant.
The white orchid is a symbol of sophisticated love and also pure affection, making it the ideal Mother’s Day gift and also a flower a lover would appreciate. There are more than 25,000 species of the orchid and they are now among the most favoured houseplants in Britain. Although they come in many colours except blue the white orchid is particularly popular because of the way it compliments all types of décor.
In Burma the white orchid is a traditional adornment for the hair, and this species is called the Dendobium Fytchianum. This is the white orchid found by Captain Grant and Colonel Fytche who were on orchid safari in Burma in 1863 when they saw the Burmese women wearing it and then found it growing in the wild.
The white orchid, along with other species, came to Britain from China and the West Indies in the 1770s and by the 1800s there were fifteen types of orchid growing in Kew Gardens. The Victorians grew the white orchid in hot greenhouses, but the flowers only flourished when people realised they needed more air, less heat, more light and a rich growing medium.