Lawoma orchid Amahle!

“DWEBA uqalo lapho uthukuthele; amaorchid lapho ujabule.” Lesisisho sesiShayina siveza ubuhlobo bothando beminyaka eyizinkulungwane ezimbili phakathi kwamaorchid kanye nabalimi nezazi zobuciko zaseMpumalanga eziye zawagcina ephila.

Ngokusobala, amaorchid ayizimbali ezivusa imizwa enamandla. Kodwa ubuhle bawo obukhethekile abuzange baziswe eNtshonalanga kwaze kwaba muva nje. Eqinisweni, ukutshalwa kwawo kwaqala cishe ngengozi.

Ekuqaleni kwawo-1800, uWilliam Cattley, umthengi wakwamanye amazwe wezitshalo zasezindaweni ezishisayo, waphawula iziqu ezithile eziyizigaxa ezazisetshenziswa njengezinto zokupakisha. Enelukuluku lokufuna ukwazi wazitshala endlwaneni yakhe yokutshala izithombo. Kamuva kulowonyaka wavuzwa ngembali enhle kakhulu enombala onsomi. Abanye abathengisi bezitshalo baseYurophu bashesha ukubona impumelelo engokwezentengiselwano yezimbali ezinjalo ezikhangayo.

Esikhathini esingeside kwaqaliswa ngentshiseko ukuzingelwa kwalamagugu asezindaweni ezishisayo. Kwafunisiswa emahlathini ukuze kutholakale amaorchid anqabile, amaningi awo angazange asinde ohambweni olude lwasolwandle oluya eYurophu. Lawo asinda ayemba eqolo. Kwakukhokhwa inani lamaguinea angu-1 150 (cishe amaRandi angu-275 000 ngamanani anamuhla) endalini eyayiseLondon ngo-1906 ngohlobo olulodwa nje kuphela. Amanani ehla ngokuphawulekayo ngokungena kwezinhlobo eziyingxubevange ezingakhuliswanga ngokwemvelo. Kodwa ngisho nanamuhla umqongeleli wawo angase akhokhe inani elingaba amaRandi angu-68 750 ukuze athole uhlobo olusha oluyingxubevange.

Yini eyenza amaorchid akhetheke kangaka? Mhlawumbe ukwehlukahluka kwawo okungapheli kokwakheka nombala. Noma ingabe ubuhle bawo obudida ingqondo? Noma ingabe yilokho kukhanga okungavamile okunzima ukukuchaza? Kungakhathaliseki ukuthi izizathu ziyini, anamandla ngokwanele ukuba asekele ukuhwebelana okwandayo kwezizwe zonke ngamaorchid.

Abalimi ngokuvamile bancamela ukutshala izinhlobo ezinhle kakhulu ezivela ezindaweni ezishisayo, kodwa amaorchid amaningi ayizimbali ezithobekile ezikhula zingaqapheleki. Amanye mancane kangangokuthi imbali inobude bamamilimitha amabili kuphela ukuvundla.

Amaorchid asendle atholakala ogwadule, emaxhaphozini, naseziqongweni zezintaba, kusukela emahlathini anomswakama asezindaweni ezishisayo kuya ezindaweni eziwugwadule zaseArctic. Amaningi akhulela ezihlahleni, nakuba amanye ekhetha ngisho nempande yecactus noma yomhlume njengendawo yokwakhela. Kodwa amaorchid awaphili ngezinye izitshalo; amane nje adinga isihlahla sokuwasekela ukuze izimpande zawo eziphumela ngaphandle komhlabathi zikwazi ukumunca umswakama osemoyeni.

Ngaphandle kokwahlukahluka kwawo, amaorchid ahlukaniswa futhi ngezindlela zawo eziyingqayizivele zokuzandisa. Igobolondo elilodwa lembewu yeorchid—isimangaliso sokupakisha—lingase lithwale izimbewu ezincane ezingase zibe izigidi ezimbili, ezingathuthelwa umoya kuyo yonke indawo. Ngokungafani nezimbewu eziningi, azinakho ukudla okugcinwe ngaphakathi, futhi ukuze zimile ngokuphumelelayo zincike ekutholeni amafungus azisekela ngezinye izakhi ezidingekayo.

Ukuze ikhiqize izimbewu, imbali kumelwe ithole impova kuqala, ngokuvamile ngesinambuzane. Yini eyengela lesinambuzane embalini? Amaorchid awanayo impova ukuze aphakele izivakashi, futhi akuzona zonke izinhlobo ezinompe. Yikuphi ukuyenga okuphumelelayo? Ubuhle, iphunga, nokuzifihla.

Zikhangwa Ubuhle

Izazi zokulinywa kwezitshalo ziye zasebenza kanzima iminyaka engaphezu kwekhulu ukuze ziveze ingxubevange ezinhlotsheni ezikhangayo zezitshalo ezitholakala endle. Manje sekunezinhlobo ezingaphezu kuka-75 000 ezaziwayo.

Ubuhle buyinzuzo engokoqobo kuyiorchid yasendle. Lembali enhle iyenga abathuthi bempova. Igqebe elikhulu eliphakathi nendawo, noma ilabellum—ngokuvamile elinombala ogqame kakhulu—lisebenza njengesikhumulo esikhangayo sesivakashi esindizayo.

Izimbali ezigqamile zikhanga izinyosi, iminyovu, izimvemvane, namahummingbird, futhi imigqa elungene emagqebeni amaningi amaorchid isebenza njengezimpawu zomgwaqo ezibonisa isivakashi indlela eya ekudleni, umpe, kwezinye izinhlobo. Kodwa ubuhle abuyona yonke into ekuphileni kwezinambuzane.

Iphunga Elikhangayo

Izinambuzane ezingenawo amehlo abukhali kakhulu zingase zidlule ubuhle zingabuqapheli. Nokho, iphunga elihehayo liyakhanga. Leliphunga lingase lifane nalelo lesinambuzane sesifazane. Kuthiwa amanye amaorchid anuka njengeminyovu yesifazane ukwedlula iminyovu ngokwayo!

Leliphunga alihehi ngaso sonke isikhathi. Amanye amaorchid athaphuka iphunga elivundile. Nokho, leliphunga nalo liyaphumelela. Yilelo elingeke linganakwa yisinambuzane esizihloniphayo. Futhi uma iphunga lilodwa lingenele, kungase kusetshenziswe ukuzifihla okuphumelelayo ukuze kwandiswe ukukhohlisa kwephunga.

Ukulingisa Ngokuhlakanipha

Lapho amaorchid ohlobo lweOncidium ebhenguza kancane emoyeni, afana kakhulu nesinambuzane esiyisitha kangangokuthi inyosi ethukuthele ihlasela iorchid ngomzamo wokuxosha “isitha” sayo. Phakathi nalesosikhathi, ithatha impova kuyiorchid ingahlosile.

Ngakolunye uhlangothi, amaorchid ezinyosi ohlobo lweOphrys afana nabangane kunezitha. Anuka njengezinyosi futhi afana nazo. Inyosi yesilisa ivakashela imbali, ngephutha icabanga ukuthi umngane, futhi lapho lesesheli esineshwa sithola lenkohliso, impovana (impova eyingcosana) inamathela emzimbeni waso. Iorchid elandelayo eyoyikhohlisa (inyosi ingase ikhohliswe kabili) iyobe isiqholwa ngempova ngesikhathi esifanele.

Udumo Luya KuMdali

Izinto ezinjalo ezihlukahlukene ezimangalisayo nezinqubo eziyinkimbinkimbi ziwubufakazi obuphilayo bokuhlakanipha koMdali. Ngokuqinisekile ukuzenzakalela ngenhlanhla noma isidingo nje akunakuba yiso esabangela lezimangaliso.

UJesu Kristu wakhuluma ngesinye isifundo esingafundwa ebuhleni obunjalo bezimbali. Wathi: “Cabangani ngezimbali ezikhula endle. Ngiyaniqinisekisa ukuthi ngisho noSolomoni imbala kuzo zonke izingubo zakhe zobukhosi wayengembethe njengenye yalezi. Manje uma kungaleyondlela uNkulunkulu ambathisa ngayo izimbali zasendle . . . , ingabe akanakuninakekela kakhulu ngokwengeziwe?”—Mathewu 6:28-30, New Jerusalem Bible.

Singabheka phambili esikhathini lapho umuntu eyonakekela amaorchid ayigugu eplanethi yethu. Kusenezinhlobo eziyizinkulungwane zasezindaweni ezishisayo ezifihlekile, futhi ubani owaziyo ukuthi yiziphi izimfihlakalo nezimangaliso ezingavela nazo! Kodwa kungakhathaliseki ukuthi uyini umbala noma ukwakheka kwawo, akungabazeki ukuthi ayokwandisa ngokuqhubekayo ukwazisa kwethu ngobuhle nokwahlukahluka kwendalo.—Qhathanisa noIsaya 35:1, 2.

[Izithombe ekhasini 16-18]

1. Icattleya (uhlobo lwembewu eyingxubevange)

2. Icattleya (uhlobo lwembewu eyingxubevange)

3. Ivanda (uhlobo lwembewu eyingxubevange)

4. Iphalaenopsis (uhlobo lwembewu eyingxubevange)

5. Icattleya (uhlobo lwembewu eyingxubevange)

6. Iphalaenopsis (uhlobo lwembewu eyingxubevange)

7. Ivanda (uhlobo lwembewu eyingxubevange)

8. Iphalaenopsis

9. Iphalaenopsis (uhlobo  lwembewu eyingxubevange)

10. Icattleya auriantiaca

[Umthombo]

Photos 1, 2, 4-6, 8-10: Courtesy of Jardinería Juan Bourguignon, Madrid, Spain