Are You Fluent in Orchid Terminology?

You may parlez French or habla Spanish, but if you don’t yet speak “orchid,” your language skills may need some refreshing! Growers, florists and fans of orchids have their own lingo, and you may come across many pages that use acronyms – having a solid understanding will help identify you as an orchid connoisseur.

Talk the Talk

Words like pot, bud, spike and hybrid are common to every orchid owner, from newbie to professional grower. But some of the words associated with orchids aren’t as well known.

• Mounts are the next step up from ceramic or plastic pots. These containers, made from tree fern, cork or wood, display orchids in a natural way, allowing the roots to wind around and through the materials.
• Grex, derived from a Latin term, defines orchids based on their specific parentage. A grex can be a species or a hybrid.
• Substance refers to the firmness of the flower; for example “Spraying for aphids saved my stems and improved the substance.”
•  Unifoliate is an orchid that bears one leaf per growth.

Orchid Acronyms

Text-talk is part of everyday language – who among us hasn’t done an “LOL” at a funny picture or typed “OMG!” in response to surprising news?

Check out these acronyms for a better understanding of orchid lingo:

• AOS: American Orchid Society
• BS: Blooming Size
• HCC: Highly Commended Certificate. If you show your orchids in competition, an HCC is quite an honor
• NBS: If an orchid is near blooming size, you'll see this acronym
• OGRES: Orchid Grower Rating/Evaluation System
• S/H: Semi-Hydroponic, which is a method of growing plants
• R/O: Reverse Osmosis
• ST: SUPERthrive, a concentrated plant-growth enhancer

Do you know of other orchid terms or acronyms? Let us know in the comments below!