When the anther cap is dislodged by a pollinator, the anther is exposed to the insect's body. Two pollen masses (called pollinia) are attached to a sticky (viscid) padlike structure called the viscidium (also called viscidulum in some references). The viscidium readily adheres to the bodies of insects. When insects visit anther orchid blossom, the pollinia are transferred to the sticky stigmatic surface just below the rostellum. Following pollination, the epigynous ovary develops into a many-seeded capsule. The seeds are microscopic, and some orchids produce more than a million seeds per capsule.

Certain epiphytic orchids of the tropical rain forest produce the world's smallest seeds weighing only one 35 millionths of an ounce (1/35,000,000) or 0.81 micrograms. They are dispersed into the air like minute dust particles or single-celled spores, eventually coming to rest in the upper canopy of rain forest trees. The seeds of some species are no larger than fungal spores and occur in a loose cellular sheath. Since the seeds have no endosperm and underdeveloped embryos, there are practically no food reserves. In order to germinate under natural conditions, they must establish a symbiotic relationship with a compatible mycorrhizal fungus. During early stages of development, the fungus supplies critical nutrients to the orchid seedling. Later the orchid may become fully independent, or it may retain its mycorrizal relationship throughout its life. The coral-root orchid seed (Corallorhiza) grows into a nonphotosynthetic mycotrophic wildflower. It absorbs carbohydrates and minerals from its fungal host, which in turn absorbs these vital nutrients from the roots of nearby forest trees. Orchid seeds are also grown under aseptic conditions in nutrient agar, similar to bacterial and fungal cultures.

Several remarkable examples of orchid pollination involve the seduction of male wasps and bees by orchid flowers. Flowers of the Australian orchid Cryptostylis leptochila resemble a female ichneumon wasp. The male ichneumon wasp attempts to copulate with the flowers, thus insuring cross pollination as he mounts the blossoms. Other species of Cryptostylis orchids also entice male wasps to visit their blossoms for pseudosexual encounters. Orchids of the genus Ophrys are well-known for their flowers that mimic bees and wasps. The Mediterranean orchid Ophrys fusca seduces a male bee before the female bees have emerged from their pupal cases. The following image shows an uncanny "face" on column of this vanda orchid. Nectar guide lines are visible of the lower "lip" petal (labellum). With some imagination, the flower superficially resembles the head and front legs of an insect. Whether hymenopterans perceive this flower as an insect is pure speculation by this author.