Also, I’m not a botanist, I just thought you would have answers, so please use common language if you respond (explain like I’m 5)!
Level9TraumaCenter
Probably defense against grazing animals. Paphs “invest” quite a bit of energy into flowering, and since they only do it once, may as well protect it.
There’s a report of paph hairs causing irritation, one of the old Arditti Orchid Biology books, I forget which one, notable as it’s one of the few instances where orchids have been shown to cause health problems. Minor irritation, iirc.
sadrice
Why is anything fuzzy? There is a phenomenon that I don’t remember the precise name of, but essentially “neutral evolution”. Stuff just drifts around if it isn’t anti selective.
However in this case I suspect it is protection against insects. Aphids and similar love to cluster on the peduncle right below the growing flower. As the flower grows and expands, the plant is pumping sugars to it. This is often a significant investment for an orchid, many orchids lose mass during flowering, and can’t do it every year. An obnoxious cluster of aphids stealing all of that… That location is perfect for a piercing sucking insect.
Plant fuzziness makes it more difficult to walk on. An aphid trying to climb that stem will struggle and stumble, and there’s a decent chance she will just fall off before reaching the top.
3 Comments
Also, I’m not a botanist, I just thought you would have answers, so please use common language if you respond (explain like I’m 5)!
Probably defense against grazing animals. Paphs “invest” quite a bit of energy into flowering, and since they only do it once, may as well protect it.
There’s a report of paph hairs causing irritation, one of the old Arditti Orchid Biology books, I forget which one, notable as it’s one of the few instances where orchids have been shown to cause health problems. Minor irritation, iirc.
Why is anything fuzzy? There is a phenomenon that I don’t remember the precise name of, but essentially “neutral evolution”. Stuff just drifts around if it isn’t anti selective.
However in this case I suspect it is protection against insects. Aphids and similar love to cluster on the peduncle right below the growing flower. As the flower grows and expands, the plant is pumping sugars to it. This is often a significant investment for an orchid, many orchids lose mass during flowering, and can’t do it every year. An obnoxious cluster of aphids stealing all of that… That location is perfect for a piercing sucking insect.
Plant fuzziness makes it more difficult to walk on. An aphid trying to climb that stem will struggle and stumble, and there’s a decent chance she will just fall off before reaching the top.