Casa Orquideas, Golfo Dulce, Costa Rica
During the night we made our way around the Osa Peninsula and entered into the Golfo Dulce. We began our day at the remarkable Casa Orquideas Botanical Garden (The house of the Orchids,) a private heaven that Ron and Trudy McAllister have been building for the past twenty-four years of their lives. Orchids, cannon-ball trees, walking palms, zamias, hummingbirds, toucans, white-hawks, and bromeliads welcomed us to their home. Ron and Trudy transformed an old cacao plantation and turned it into this admirable botanical jewel that we had the opportunity to visit today. The symphony of the day was performed by: Chestnut-mandible Toucans, Scarlet-rumped Tanagers, Masked Tityras and Scarlet Macaws.
Throughout the centuries tropical monocotyledons from around the world including such groups as palms, orchids and bromeliads-have been among the most popular of ornamental plants. Bromeliads are tropical or temperate plants, characterized as being epiphytic (that grow on trees) or terrestrial plants. Some species can have both habits, while others only have one. There are more than 1,800 species native to the New World, and only one species native to the Old World.
Since the flowers of most bromeliads are not brightly colored, some leaves -- called bracts -- produce the color to attract the pollinators. Some of the largest types are able to absorb the nutrients through leaf hairs and not by the roots, the function of the roots in this case is to attach it to the tree.
This family of plants, in which we find the pineapple was named to honor the Swedish botanist Olaf Bromelius who died in 1705.
During the night we made our way around the Osa Peninsula and entered into the Golfo Dulce. We began our day at the remarkable Casa Orquideas Botanical Garden (The house of the Orchids,) a private heaven that Ron and Trudy McAllister have been building for the past twenty-four years of their lives. Orchids, cannon-ball trees, walking palms, zamias, hummingbirds, toucans, white-hawks, and bromeliads welcomed us to their home. Ron and Trudy transformed an old cacao plantation and turned it into this admirable botanical jewel that we had the opportunity to visit today. The symphony of the day was performed by: Chestnut-mandible Toucans, Scarlet-rumped Tanagers, Masked Tityras and Scarlet Macaws.
Throughout the centuries tropical monocotyledons from around the world including such groups as palms, orchids and bromeliads-have been among the most popular of ornamental plants. Bromeliads are tropical or temperate plants, characterized as being epiphytic (that grow on trees) or terrestrial plants. Some species can have both habits, while others only have one. There are more than 1,800 species native to the New World, and only one species native to the Old World.
Since the flowers of most bromeliads are not brightly colored, some leaves -- called bracts -- produce the color to attract the pollinators. Some of the largest types are able to absorb the nutrients through leaf hairs and not by the roots, the function of the roots in this case is to attach it to the tree.
This family of plants, in which we find the pineapple was named to honor the Swedish botanist Olaf Bromelius who died in 1705.
