Orchid mania: exotic plant now the fastest growing segment of nation's $13 billion floriculture industry

August 26, 2004

HOMESTEAD, Fla. — Once just a hobby for those with the time, money and patience to care for exotic plants, orchids are now the fastest-growing segment of the nation’s $13 billion floriculture industry, and University of Florida researchers have developed a way to clone the plants to help preserve native and endangered species in the wild.

Nationwide, more than 16 million orchids were sold last year, generating more than $121 million in retail sales while poinsettias rang up $252 million. Chrysanthemums, which ranked third in sales, generated $76 million.

Next to poinsettias, orchids are now the leading potted flowering plant produced in Florida, generating more than $23 million in annual farm-gate sales, according to UF researchers. California leads the nation in orchid production, accounting for 40 percent of the country’s orchids, followed by Hawaii with 34 percent and Florida with 18 percent of the market.

No longer a luxury item, orchids can be purchased at prices comparable to other flowering pot plants, said Wagner Vendrame, an assistant professor of horticulture with UF’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences. With more than 25,000 identified species and 110,000 registered hybrids, they are the largest group of flowering plants.

Vendrame is using high-tech tissue culture techniques in his laboratory to clone and mass-produce orchids. To help reduce collection of specimens from the wild, he and graduate student Philip Kauth are micro-propagating Florida native orchid species for preservation purposes.

“Native orchid species that are rare or endangered could be multiplied and reintroduced to their natural habitats, greatly increasing their numbers,” Vendrame said. “If we can mass-produce some of our native orchids, they could be used in landscapes.”

Often described as the most beautiful flowers in the world, orchids have a distinct and undeniable mystique, he said. “Beauty alone cannot explain our fascination with these flowers. When it comes to variety, complexity and elegance, orchid plants are unlike any other.”

And while orchids are common in the tropics, they also grow wild under different climatic conditions on every continent except Antarctica. In North America, orchid species are native to every state, including Alaska.

Not surprising, orchids are the national flower in many countries: Belize, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Indonesia and Singapore. In Venezuela, orchids are featured on the nation’s currency. And the state of Minnesota has selected the pink-and-white lady slipper orchid as its state flower.

Over the past 10 years, the popularity of orchids has increased dramatically, largely the result of new and improved cultivation and propagation techniques that allow commercial growers to produce large numbers of plants at affordable prices. In response to the growing demand for orchids, scientist at UF’s Tropical Research and Education Center in Homestead have ramped up their ornamental research program and started an orchidology course.

Orchid mania has spawned hundreds of orchid societies across the nation. The American Orchid Society, headquartered in Delray Beach, has nearly 30,000 members nationwide. And there are orchid shows throughout the year, including the world famous Miami International Orchid Show sponsored by the South Florida Orchid Society.

Vendrame, who has developed a close working relationship with commercial producers in South Florida, presents an orchid short course every other year in cooperation with the Boca Raton Orchid Society. When a few basic cultural requirements are met, growing orchids in the home environment can be rewarding experience, he said.

Vendrame’s research and education program includes work with some of the leading commercial orchid producers in South Florida.

Kerry Herndon, president of Kerry’s Bromeliad Nursery in Homestead is the largest orchid grower in Florida and one of the two largest orchid growers in the world.

“To produce high quality orchids for the national market, we rely heavily on the scientists and technicians at UF’s Tropical Research and Education Center in Homestead,” Herndon said. “Their expertise and experience has been very valuable to us and the orchid industry in South Florida. Several of our employees are currently enrolled in the environmental horticulture program at the center, which is a great benefit to the grower community.”

Martin Motes, owner of Motes Orchids in Homestead, is known worldwide for breeding Vanda orchids. While some growers import small plants from Thailand and finish growing them here, Motes said he believes plants can be produced more cheaply in the United States, resulting in a better quality product for consumers and greater profits for growers.

“We’re working with the UF to combine their research and education programs with the experience of long-time orchid growers to bring the South Florida orchid industry to a new level of sophistication and profitability,” he said.