Orchids are plants that belong to the family Orchidaceae, a diverse and widespread group of flowering plants with blooms that are often colourful and fragrant. Orchids are cosmopolitan plants that are found in almost every habitat on Earth except glaciers. The world's richest diversity of orchid genera and species is found in the tropics.
Ophrys apifera, known in Europe as the bee orchid, is a perennial herbaceous plant of the family Orchidaceae. It serves as an example of sexually deceptive pollination and floral mimicry, as well as of a highly selective and highly evolved plant–pollinator relationship.
Bulbophyllum is a genus of mostly epiphytic and lithophytic orchids in the family Orchidaceae. It is the largest genus in the orchid family and one of the largest genera of flowering plants with more than 2,000 species, exceeded in number only by Astragalus. These orchids are found in diverse habitats throughout most of the warmer parts of the world including Africa, southern Asia, Latin America, the West Indies, and various islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. Orchids in this genus have thread-like or fibrous roots that creep over the surface of trees or rocks or hang from branches. The stem is divided into a rhizome and a pseudobulb, a feature that distinguished this genus from Dendrobium. There is usually only a single leaf at the top of the pseudobulb and from one to many flowers are arranged along an unbranched flowering stem that arises from the base of the pseudobulb. Several attempts have been made to separate Bulbophyllum into smaller genera, but most have not been accepted by the World Checklist of Selected Plant Families.
Aerangis, abbreviated as Aergs in horticultural trade, is a genus of the Orchid family (Orchidaceae). The name of this genus has been derived from the Greek words 'aer' (air) and 'angos' (urn), referring to the form of the lip. It is the type genus of the subtribe Aerangidinae, which has recently been subsumed in the subtribe Angraecinae. Approximately 50 species in this genus are known mostly from tropical Africa, but also from the Comoro Islands, Madagascar and Sri Lanka.
Stanhopea is a genus of the orchid family (Orchidaceae) from Central and South America. The abbreviation used in horticultural trade is Stan. The genus is named for the 4th Earl of Stanhope (1781-1855), president of the Medico-Botanical Society of London (1829-1837). It comprises 55 species and 5 natural hybrids. These epiphytic, but occasionally terrestrial orchids can be found in damp forests from Mexico to Trinidad to NW Argentina. Their ovate pseudobulbs carry from the top one long, plicate, elliptic leaf.
Acineta, abbreviated as Acn in horticultural trade, is a small genus belonging to the orchid family (Orchidaceae). The name is derived from the Greek word 'akinetos' (immobile), referring to the rigid labellum (lip).
Vanilla, the vanilla orchids, forms a flowering plant genus of about 110 species in the orchid family (Orchidaceae). The most widely known member is the flat-leaved vanilla, native to Mexico and Belize, from which commercial vanilla flavoring is derived. It is the only orchid widely used for industrial purposes in flavoring such products as foods, beverages and cosmetics, and is recognized as the most popular aroma and flavor. The key constituent imparting its flavour is the phenolic aldehyde, vanillin.
Ophrys insectifera, the fly orchid, is a species of orchid and the type species of the genus Ophrys. It is remarkable as an example of the use of sexually deceptive pollination and floral mimicry, as well as a highly selective and highly evolved plant–pollinator relationship.
Coryanthes, commonly known as bucket orchids, is a genus of neotropical epiphytic orchids. This genus is abbreviated as Crths in horticultural trade. They are native to South America, Central America, Mexico and Trinidad.
Stenia is a genus in the orchid family (Orchidaceae). It was established by John Lindley in 1837. These epiphytic plants occur in warm, humid habitats of Trinidad and the Amazonian slope of the northern Andean region in South America.
Stanhopeinae is a subtribe of plants in the tribe Cymbidieae.
Paphinia seegeri is a species of orchid endemic to Colombia.
Cycnoches, abbreviated as Cyc. in the horticultural trade, is a genus of 34 currently accepted species of orchids native to South America, Central America and southern Mexico. Also called "swan orchids", they are epiphytes found in lowland and pre-montane forests.
Bifrenaria, abbreviated Bif. in horticultural trade, is a genus of plants in family Orchidaceae. It contains 20 species found in Panama, Trinidad and South America. There are no known uses for them, but their abundant, and at first glance artificial, flowers, make them favorites of orchid growers.
Coryanthes macrantha commonly called the Bucket Orchid, or Monkey's Throat Orchid is an epiphytic orchid from the genus Coryanthes. It is native to Trinidad and to South America. The fragrant plant is pollinated by the typical Euglossini bees These bees are part of what is probably the most complicated pollination scheme presently known in nature. and has one of the largest orchid blooms, sometimes weighing up to 100 grams and measuring up to five inches in width and height. In Trinidad and Tobago the flower has reached a width and height of six Inches The color is usually yellow to orange with small freckles along some parts of the flower, mainly inside the "bucket". But of course there are many different forms so it is not a rule.
Eulophia pulchra, commonly known as the gonzo orchid, is a plant in the orchid family and is native to areas from Tanzania and Mozambique to the Western Pacific Ocean. It is a terrestrial orchid with crowded, above-ground pseudobulbs, two or three leaves and pale yellowish green flowers with dull purple or red markings. It grows in plant litter in rainforests.
Ixyophora is a genus of flowering plants from the orchid family, Orchidaceae. It has 5 known species, all native to South America.
- Ixyophora aurantiaca(Senghas & G.Gerlach) Dressler - Peru
- Ixyophora carinata(P.Ortiz) Dressler - Colombia
- Ixyophora fosterae(Dodson) P.A.Harding - Bolivia
- Ixyophora luerorum(R.Vásquez & Dodson) P.A.Harding - Bolivia
- Ixyophora viridisepala(Senghas) Dressler - Ecuador
Kefersteinia is a genus of flowering plants from the orchid family, Orchidaceae. It has about 40-50 species, widespread across much of Latin America. The genus was named for Keferstein of Kröllwitz, an orchidologist.
Zygopetalinae is an orchid subtribe in the tribe Cymbidieae with 418 species.
Euglossa cordata is a primitively eusocial orchid bee of the American tropics. The species is known for its green body color and ability to fly distances of over 50 km. Males mostly disperse and leave their home nests, while females have been observed to possess philopatric behavior. Because of this, sightings are rare and little is known about the species. However, it has been observed that adults who pollinate certain species of orchids will become intoxicated during the pollination.
