Kristina: I've always been fascinated by orchids. My mom was too, she said there are 30,000 varieties. But what puzzles me is why members of such a widespread family are also so beautiful.
Kurt: Well, like any large family, orchids have both beautiful and not-so-beautiful members.
Kristina: What are their distinguishing features?
Kurt: One key feature is the Blütenblatts—uh, what do you call them in English?
Kristina: Petals.
Kurt: Ja, ja, petals! Orchids have six petals. There is a "sixness" about them. I mean, they have three outer petals und three inner petals. But the lower third petal, the labellum, is unique. It contains the pollinating parts.
Kristina: The pistil and stamens?
Kurt: Ja, exactly! The labellum does the pollination.
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Voice-over
Prepare botanical vocabulary before exploring differences between orchid varieties. Begin with terrestrial vs epiphytic. Knowing plant parts such as sepals, stamens, pollinia, labellum, stigma will be helpful.
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