Why do orchid seeds contain little or no stored food?

Orchid seeds are extremely small and dustlike, an adaptation that allows them to be easily carried by wind currents over long distances. Because they lack endosperm—the tissue that typically provides stored food for a developing embryo in most flowering plants—they are essentially devoid of their own internal energy reserves.123

Instead of relying on stored food, orchid seeds have evolved to depend on a symbiotic relationship with specialized fungi (mycorrhiza) to germinate and grow in nature. The fungus penetrates the seed and supplies the necessary nutrients required for the seedling to develop until it can establish its own photosynthetic abilities. This strategy allows orchids to produce a vast number of tiny seeds, increasing the probability that at least some will land in a suitable environment where the necessary fungal partners are present.132