Differences Between Species Orchids and Hybrid Orchids

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Care and Culture, Classification

In this article I’ve come up with the top ten main differences between Species Orchids and Hybrid Orchids.

Differences Between Species Orchids and Hybrid Orchids

1. The main difference is obviously the overall appearence of some orchid species; because species orchids come straight from nature, and are propagated for us to grow (they help create species that cater to our needs). Eventually there are always some hybrids that will look similar to one another (as there are many hybrid orchids out there, they are all bred from species orchids originally).
2. In general, hybrid orchids are more fertile (able to produce more, and more quickly).
3. Overall, species orchids have longer scientific names.
4. Usually hybrid orchids are easier to care for. This is due to hybrids’ having numerous “parents” in their background that already have various tolerances built up to accomadate to our lifestyles.
5. Species orchids are more liable to survive neglect. Most species orchid plants are used to being from strange environments where they may be deprived of the proper growing guidelines that they need; nutrients, planting material, light, or shade. They have already managed to survive these poor living conditions.
6. The original plant is the species orchids (no ancestry can be traced before the species).
7. A hybrid orchid has a family tree that can be traced all the way back to the original species that they were bred from.
8. Orchid species contain the smallest and the largest orchids.
9. There are more orchids available for “potting” that are species orchids.
10. It’s faster and cheaper to propagate hybrid orchids in turn making them cheaper in general for us (propagation is done by meristem and seed)!