When do orchid seeds generally mature?

Orchid fruits develop slowly, and different varieties mature at different times. Cymbidium goeringii seeds take 1 year, Cymbidium sinense takes 9 months, and Cymbidium ensifolium takes 10-12 months. Orchid seeds are very small and powdery. Mature seeds are yellow, while immature seeds are white.

There are two methods of orchid seed germination, namely symbiotic germination and asymbiotic germination. Current research on orchid seed germination focuses mainly on asymbiotic germination, and through this method the seeds of Cymbidium sinense, Cymbidium ensifolium, Cymbidium goeringii, Cymbidium kanran, and Cymbidium faberi can all germinate. But in general, orchid seed germination rates are low, regenerating plants is difficult, and the survival rate of transplanted test-tube plantlets is not high.

Orchid seeds are very small and powdery. Under a microscope, the seed is shuttle-shaped and consists of a transparent seed coat and a spherical embryo. There is no endosperm in the seed. Mature seeds are yellow, while immature seeds are white. Although orchid seeds are small, they are numerous, with each capsule containing tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of seeds.

For sowing orchid seeds, immature seeds are preferable. The sowing method is as follows: take a capsule that has not yet split open, remove the fruit stalk and other remnants, and rinse clean under running water; then disinfect with 75% alcohol for 8-10 minutes and rinse 3 times with sterile water; after blotting dry with filter paper, cut it open with a scalpel, and use tweezers to pick out the seeds inside and scatter them onto the surface of the culture medium; place the inoculated seeds in a culture room for cultivation. The culture conditions are: a temperature of about 25°C, and dark culture or culture under scattered light before protocorm formation.