Commercial and Amateur Orchid Production in the U.S.

Orchid sales have dramatically increased over the last few decades. Orchids are currently the number one floriculture crop in wholesale value, increasing from 206% from 1996 to 2006 according to USDA, while the wholesale value for many other floriculture or ornamental crops has stayed the same or even decreased during the same period. Presently, consumers can purchase reasonably priced blooming Cymbidium, Dendrobium, and Phalaenopsis plants at local grocery and hardware stores. Tropical orchids remained luxury items for over a century until George Morel, a French scientist, developed methods to mass produce Cymbidium orchids. A long history in cultivation and breeding efforts have resulted in many easy-to-grow orchids such as Phalaenopsis amabilis hybrids, Dendrobium bigibbum hybrids, and Oncidum hybrids for mass production. Nowadays, species and hybrids of various orchid genera are grown by both amateur and commercial growers. In this presentation, a history of orchid cultivation along with the current status of orchid production will be discussed.