Orchids are flowers that can mean love, authority, power, desire and seduction, depending on the color in question.
This plant has a beautiful flower, which has many varieties and which are present on all continents, except Antarctica. belong to the family Orchidaceae, one of the largest families in the plant kingdom.
There are common species and some quite rare, which is the case of the Black Orchid or the Monkey Orchid (Simian Dracula), which has this name because the flower is similar to a monkey's face.
Orchids prefer tropical climates, and often grow with the help of trees, as they rest on them, making them more exposed to the sun.
Its flower is mostly used for decoration, although some species are used to produce vanilla. However, considering the high cost of producing vanilla using orchids, this is not very common, as production using an artificial compost is much cheaper.
Orchid derives from the Greek word orkhis which means "in the form of testicles". This name was attributed by Theophrastus, a Greek philosopher who verified the similarity of the roots of some orchids with human testicles. Therefore, in the Middle Ages it was believed that orchids had aphrodisiac characteristics. Thus, the Greeks believed that the orchid was a symbol of virility. In ancient Greece, if a young girl presented herself with orchids adorning her head, it meant she was looking for her ideal match. If the same happened to an older woman, more often than not it was a sign of ostentation, a demonstration of her wealth and luxury in which she lived.
Nowadays the orchid is a flower that is associated with female sexuality and beauty. For this reason, the popular orchid tattoos are more common in women. The orchid can have many different meanings, love, desire, lust, perfection, spiritual purity, strength, luxury, beauty, etc. Different colors have different meanings.
Colors meaning
- Pink or Lilac Orchid: Flower of seduction, ideal to conquer your love interest;
- Red Orchid: Means sexual desire;
- White Orchid: Pure love (quite common in bridal bouquets);
- Yellow Orchid: Erotic love;
- Black Orchid: symbol of power and absolute authority, a sign of something belonging to the elite.
orchid in medicine
Ancient accounts describe beliefs about medicinal and mystical properties of orchids. For power and vigor, the Aztecs ate a mixture of orchids and chocolate. In China, people ate the flowers because they believed they could cure respiratory illnesses.
