Terrestrial Orchids
From Seed to Mycotrophic Plant

This book contains a detailed survey of the biology of terrestrial orchids, from seed dispersal to establishment and life of the adult plant.

Hanne N. Rasmussen (Author)

9780521048811, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 21 January 2008

460 pages, 40 b/w illus. 18 tables
22.8 x 15.3 x 2.6 cm, 0.681 kg

`Concise and well arranged ... the author steers a careful course between the purely academic biological textbook and the laboratory manual, and in my view has been extremely successful in bridging the two with a work that will be widely consulted by botanists, ecologists, horticulturalists and conservationists ... indispensable for the orchidologist and specialist grower...' Phil Lusby, The New Plantsman

Terrestrial orchids have great appeal, but unfortunately they rank among the most vulnerable of all plant species, and little is known about how they reproduce in nature. This book contains a detailed survey of the biology of terrestrial orchids, from seed dispersal to establishment and life of the adult plant, based on comparisons of field and culture experiments. The unusual mode of obtaining energy by means of mycorrhiza is examined and evaluated in terms of plant structure and function and the impact of this mycotrophic nutrition on orchid evolution. The book makes it clear that an understanding of germination, life histories and seasonal phenology in natural habitats is essential for success of culture methods, propagation and conservation. The final chapter is a systematic presentation of the life history, endophytes and propagation of thirty-six genera of terrestrial orchids. Environmental plant physiologists will find this a stimulating book; for all those who are involved in orchid horticulture the book is indispensable.

Acknowledgements
Introduction
1. Properties of 'dust' seeds
2. Seed development
3. Seed survival
4. Requirements for germination
5. Fungi
6. Germination processes
7. Underground organs
8. Orchid mycorrhiza
9. Abiotic factors in growth and development
10. Life history and phenology
11. Propagation
12. Effects of orchid mycorrhiza
13. Descriptions of genera
Appendix A: nutrient substrates mentioned in the text
Appendix B: names and synonyms
References
Index.

Subject Areas: Botany & plant sciences [PST]