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Study

Numerical and physical properties of orchid seeds and their biological implications

Arditti, Joseph; Ghani, Abdul Karim Abdul

New Phytologist, 2000

Peer-reviewedcomparative studylaboratory

What they did

Seed number, mass and dimensions were compiled and measured across a wide range of orchid genera, and related to dispersal capacity and germination requirements.

Studied in
Orchidaceae
Sample size
seed counts and dimensions compiled across orchid genera

What they found

Orchid seeds are among the smallest of any flowering plant — often a few micrograms, essentially an embryo in a thin coat with no endosperm. A single capsule may hold from thousands to over three million seeds.

What it means

The authors' reading, and ours. Where they differ, that difference is the point.

How the authors put it

Extreme seed miniaturisation permits enormous seed numbers and wind dispersal, at the cost of carrying no food reserve.

How NatureHQ reads it

This is the fact the rest of orchid biology hangs from. A seed with no food reserve cannot germinate on its own: it must be colonised by a fungus that feeds it until it can photosynthesise, which is why orchids are so difficult to grow from seed and why they are so tied to particular habitats. The dust-like seed buys unlimited dispersal and buys it by outsourcing the entire seedling stage to a fungal partner.

Limitations

  • Compiled from many sources with differing measurement methods.
  • Coverage is skewed towards horticulturally important genera.
  • Seed number per capsule varies enormously with pollination success.

What this study is used for on NatureHQ

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Finding the paper

Published by: Wiley journalsPublished in a Wiley journal.

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NatureHQ summarises research in its own words and does not reproduce published text. Reviewed 2026-08-10.