Dracula

Dracula (lat. Dracula) is a genus of herbaceous epiphytic plants with a unique flower structure, belonging to the Orchid family (lat. Orchidaceae).

It seems that the Almighty, before creating various living creatures on Earth, practiced on orchids of the Dracula genus how to create the face or muzzle of this living creature, paying special attention to the eyes, which should become the mirror of the immortal soul. Funny, cheerful, sad or even mournful faces look at us through the eyes of the flowers of the family.

What’s in your name

The Latin name “Dracula” was assigned to the genus by botanists, who were greatly impressed by the flowers of plants shaped like the muzzle of mythical dragons, which have been held in high esteem by humans in all centuries.

There are several translations of the word “Dracula”: “little dragon”, “little dragon” or “son of the dragon”, and, in the Russian version, the genus name “Dracula” refers to a feminine noun.

The first description of plants of the genus was made by the most famous expert on orchids of the 19th century in Germany, botanist Heinrich Gustav Reichenbach (01/03/1823 – 05/06/1889). Seeing one of the plants of this genus for the first time, Heinrich Reichenbach was so delighted with this miracle of nature that he could not believe in the reality of the plant, which had been hiding its charm from people for thousands of years in the wild thickets of the American tropics.

Description

In the wild, plants of the genus Dracula, being epiphytic plants, live on the trees of the tropical forests of Central and South America, characterized by high humidity. Since they are not located too high above the ground (no more than 3 meters), or even right at the base of the tree, they are accustomed to a low level of illumination. Due to the fact that these forests grow on the slopes of mountains, at an altitude of up to 2500 meters above sea level, the plants are accustomed to low temperatures.

Epiphytic plants of the genus have a shortened rhizome, which replaces the absence of the usual pseudobulbs in plants of this genus. From the rhizome a short stem is born with belt-shaped long green leaves of different shades of green. The function of missing pseudobulbs is sometimes performed by leaves with a spongy structure.

Straight or slightly drooping flower stalks of plants, as a rule, bear single flowers, which differ in different species in their shape and color of flower petals. But there is one element in the structure of a flower that unites all types of plants in the genus. Such an element is the sepals, three in number. At the base of the flower they are connected to each other so that a cup with elongated tentacles is obtained from the outgrowths (tips) of sepals, often covered with hairs.

Spindle-shaped, numerous small seeds complete the vegetation cycle of plants.

Varieties

According to some data, the genus Dracula unites 123 species of epiphytic orchids in its community. Here are a few of them:

* Dracula is beautiful (lat. Dracula bella)

* Dracula Amalia (lat. Dracula amaliae)

* Dracula Aphrodite (lat. Dracula aphrodes)

* Dracula Diana (lat. Dracula diana)

* Dracula Gorgon (lat. Dracula gorgona)

* Dracula chimaera (lat. Dracula chimaera) – the first species described by Heinrich Reichenbach

* Vampire Dracula (lat. Dracula vampira).

Usage

The many-sided, beautiful and unique flowers of plants of the genus Dracula have won the hearts of flower growers, taking their rightful place in greenhouses, as well as as indoor plants.

Plants do not like conditions that differ sharply from those in which they grow in the wild. Therefore, for successful growth they need partial shade or shade, high air humidity, up to 90 percent, and a fairly cool temperature: in summer no more than 25 degrees Celsius, in winter about 15 degrees.