What was orchidelirium?

Victorian orchid-collecting craze

Why is Ecuador famous among orchid lovers?

It has over 4,000 orchid species

Orchids Quiz: Can You Get 8 Out of 10?

The vanilla in your ice cream comes from an orchid, and this orchids quiz explores the largest family of flowering plants. Meet ghost orchids, the Victorian orchid hunters who risked their lives for rare blooms and the cloud forests of Ecuador, one of the richest orchid regions on Earth.

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🎯 Daily Trivia Challenge • 🧠 10 Questions • ⏱️ 150 Seconds

Question 1 / 10 Time: 150s

Size
How many orchid species are there?
Vanilla
Which spice comes from an orchid?
Seeds
What is special about orchid seeds?
Fungi
What do most orchid seeds need to germinate?
Epiphytes
Where do many tropical orchids grow?
Mania
What was orchidelirium?
Ghost
Which leafless orchid grows in Florida swamps?
Darwin
Which Madagascar orchid helped Darwin predict a long-tongued moth?
Ecuador
Why is Ecuador famous among orchid lovers?
Moth orchid
Which orchid is a popular houseplant?

Explanations: answer key for all 10 questions

Q1: How many orchid species are there?
Answer: About 28,000
It is one of the largest plant families.
Q2: Which spice comes from an orchid?
Answer: Vanilla
It comes from the seed pods.
Q3: What is special about orchid seeds?
Answer: They are tiny like dust
They need fungi to sprout.
Q4: What do most orchid seeds need to germinate?
Answer: A partner fungus
The fungus provides food.
Q5: Where do many tropical orchids grow?
Answer: On tree branches
Their roots cling to bark.
Q6: What was orchidelirium?
Answer: Victorian orchid-collecting craze
Collectors paid fortunes.
Q7: Which leafless orchid grows in Florida swamps?
Answer: Ghost orchid
It was made famous by The Orchid Thief.
Q8: Which Madagascar orchid helped Darwin predict a long-tongued moth?
Answer: Star of Bethlehem orchid
Its nectar spur is about 30 cm long.
Q9: Why is Ecuador famous among orchid lovers?
Answer: It has over 4,000 orchid species
Many are found in cloud forests.
Q10: Which orchid is a popular houseplant?
Answer: Phalaenopsis
It is also called the moth orchid.

Orchids Quiz – The Largest Flower Family

Orchids make up one of the largest families of flowering plants, with around 28,000 species found on every continent except Antarctica. They are especially diverse in tropical cloud forests, such as those of Ecuador and Colombia.

Orchids have complex flowers, often with a special lip petal that guides pollinators. Many trick insects with fake food or mates. Their dust-like seeds lack stored food and need fungi to germinate, and many tropical orchids grow on tree branches as epiphytes.

In Victorian times, orchidelirium drove collectors to send hunters across the world. Today, habitat loss and illegal collecting threaten many species. Vanilla, the only major orchid crop, comes from the cured pods of an orchid native to Mexico.

What This Quiz Teaches

Plant lovers and students will enjoy these questions.

How many orchids exist
Which spice is an orchid
How orchid seeds sprout
What orchidelirium was
Where orchids are most diverse

Did You Know?

Some orchids live underground.
Bee orchids mimic female bees.
Orchid flowers can last for months.
Singapore's national flower is an orchid.
Some orchids smell like chocolate.