Orchidaceae

Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online. Orchidaceae, the Orchid family, is the largest family of the flowering plants. Its name is derived from the genus Orchis. The Royal Botanical Gardens of Kew list 880 genera and nearly 22,000 accepted species, but the exact number is unknown because of taxonomic disputes. The number of orchid species equals about four times the number of mammal species, or more than twice the number of bird species. It also encompasses about 6-11% of all seed plants. About 800 new orchid species are added each year. The largest genera are Bulbophyllum, Epidendrum, Dendrobium and Pleurothallis. The family also includes the Vanilla, Orchis and many commonly cultivated plants like some Phalaenopsis or Cattleya.