The Role of Fungus in the Life of Orchids
Orchid seeds typically cannot begin life without a good fungal infection. The tiny, hard seeds cannot begin to sprout until fungal threads grow into the tiny embryo inside. This prompts sprouting because the fungus converts the nutrients stored in the seed to a form the embryo needs. Without that conversion, the seed will never sprout. The embryo cannot even absorb the water it needs without the help of the fungus.
By the time they have green leaves, most young orchids are able to make their own food and absorb their own water. When the orchid enters a dormant stage at the end of the growing season, its relationship with the fungus of its birth is forever over. But when the new growing season begins, the dormant orchid must again be infected by a fungus until new roots and stems form and grow new green leaves. Some orchids remain completely dependent on the fungus for nutrients, minerals and water.
The orchid's complete dependency on fungus to sprout or, in some cases, to provide all its nutrients and water, makes it a wonder that there are any orchids at all. If evolution were true, it is highly unlikely that the first orchid would have evolved where exactly the right fungus was present. A much simpler explanation is that the orchid and the fungus that infects it were intelligently designed by God for this special relationship.