These beautiful vintage orchid prints and drawings are the latest collection of botanical illustrations to add to the collection of flower prints on Pictureboxblue. This collection already includes the flower species such as roses, peonies, and poppies plus many more.
Orchids are considered some of the most beautiful and mysterious flowers. They are one of the most popular houseplants. Orchids make a lovely home warming and mothers’ day gift. My own mum has a large collection of orchid plants in her conservatory, many of which were gifted to her.
The orchid prints in this collection are all by the artist Charles Antoine Lemaire. Lemaire was a French botanical artist more well known for his cacti paintings. However, towards the end of his career (1854) he edited the Belgium Journal L’Illustration Horticole, where these beautiful orchid paintings come from.
Facts about Orchids
- Orchids are the oldest and largest group of flowers. There are more species of Orchids then birds. Over 25,000 different species of orchids have been identified so far.
- Although they are often thought of as a tropical plant Orchids are found on all continents, except Antarctica
- The flowers range in size from that of a penny to giant flowers that weigh a few hundred pounds and over 2.5m, such as the giant orchid Grammatophyllum speciosum
- Every orchid flower can be divided into two equal parts which are known as bilateral symmetry.
- Even though they are a popular houseplant they orchids are notoriously difficult to grow. It takes patience to grow an orchid. The plant’s first flowers won’t appear until at least 5 to 7 years after germination. The houseplants you find in stores are often several years old.
- Orchids do not have usual roots. They have rhizome, tuber, or aerial roots.
- Orchids survive in a range of habitats, from the ground (terrestrial forms), attached to woody plants (epiphytic types), or under the ground.
- Certain species of orchids are parasitic. Instead of photosynthesis, they obtain food from fungi that live inside their roots.
- Many species of Orchids can only be pollinated by certain insects, as those insects become extinct so do the orchids.
- Vanilla is extracted from the pod of Vanilla planifolia, which is one orchid commercially grown.
Charles Lemaire’s Orchid Paintings
All these vintage orchid prints are in the Public Domain. This means that you are free to download them and use them as you wish.
To download the orchid flower painting you want, click on the title above that orchid. A larger print of the orchid flower will open as a new tab in your browser.
If you then right-click on that vintage orchid print, you will have the menu option to save the print to your device.
Oncidium orchids are commonly known as the “Dancing Ladies” and have been enjoyed for centuries. The Oncidium barkerii is also sometimes called a butterfly orchid, but several orchids also have this common name.
This pretty pink Laelia autumnalis orchid is from a small genus Laelia of 25 species of Orchidaceae. These orchids are found it the subtropical areas of central and South America, mainly Mexico.
This orchid is in bloom from fall to winter with 10cm fragrant flowers, hence its name.
This is one of only two orchids in the Lacaena is a genus. The plant is native to Central America, Colombia, and southern Mexico.
This beautiful flowering Orichid is endemic to Brazil.
This is a beautiful print of a potted Aerides rosea orchid. This flower is native to China and South East Asia.
Another vintage potted orchid print. Cattleya purpurata, is native to Brazil where it is very popular among orchid growers. The orchid favors bright light and cool to warm conditions and is relatively easy to cultivate.
The plant blooms from late spring to fall with three to five flowers on a spike. The flowers are long-lasting and fragrant.
This orchid painted by Charles Lemaire is native to India.
The blue orchid has bluish-purple flowers that are very long-lasting compared to other orchids. The plant bears up to 20 to 30 spikes.
This is an Asian orchid found in the Himilayas and neighbouring countries.
This is an illustration of an Ecuadorian orchid, with a pleasant fragrance.
This beautiful yellow orchid native to China and South East Asia.
A Charles Lemaire orchid painting of the Prosthechea vitellina. A plant native to Mexico that is also called as The Yolk-Yellow Prosthechea
I hope you enjoyed these vintage Orchid prints of Charles Lemaire. You might also want to check out the flower paintings of another famous French botanical painter Pierre-Joseph Redoute.
Don’t forget the other vintage flower collections on Pictureboxblue.