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.
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.
Pleurothallis is a genus of orchids commonly called bonnet orchids. The genus name is derived from the Greek word pleurothallos, meaning "riblike branches". This refers to the rib-like stems of many species. The genus is often abbreviated as "Pths" in horticultural trade.
The Pleurothallidinae are a neotropical subtribe of plants of the orchid family (Orchidaceae) including 29 genera in more than 4000 species.
Orichalcum or aurichalcum is a metal mentioned in several ancient writings, including the story of Atlantis in the Critias of Plato. Within the dialogue, Critias says that orichalcum had been considered second only to gold in value and had been found and mined in many parts of Atlantis in ancient times, but that by Critias's own time, orichalcum was known only by name.
Phalaenopsis, also known as moth orchids, is a genus of about seventy species of plants in the family Orchidaceae. Orchids in this genus are monopodial epiphytes or lithophytes with long, coarse roots, short, leafy stems and long-lasting, flat flowers arranged in a flowering stem that often branches near the end. Orchids in this genus are native to Asia, New Guinea, and Australia, but mostly occur in Indonesia and the Philippines.
Myoxanthus is a genus of orchids with about 50 species, widely distributed in Central and South America. This genus is a close ally of Pleurothallis.
Specklinia is a genus of orchids native to South America, Central America, and the Caribbean. It contains approximately 100 species.
Spiranthes is a genus of orchids in the subfamily Orchidoideae. They are known commonly as ladies tresses, ladies'-tresses, or lady's tresses. The genus is distributed in the Americas, Eurasia, and Australia. The genus name Spiranthes is derived from the Greek speira ("coil") and anthos ("flower"), and was inspired by the spirally arranged inflorescence.
Acianthera is a genus of orchids native to the tropical parts of the Western Hemisphere, especially Brazil. It was first described in 1842 but was not widely recognized until recently. Most of the species were formerly placed under Pleurothallis subgenus Acianthera. This splitting is a result of recent DNA sequencing.
Lepanthes guatemalensis is a species of orchid found from Mexico (Chiapas) to El Salvador.
Restrepia guttulata, commonly called the small-spotted restrepia, is a species of orchid occurring from Venezuela to Ecuador.
Ophidion is a genus of flowering plant in the family Orchidaceae, native to Panama to western South America and Venezuela. The genus was established by Carlyle A. Luer. It has been included in a broad circumscription of Phloeophila, but there is evidence that it forms a monophyletic taxon, and it is accepted by Plants of the World Online.
Acianthera cachensis is a species of orchid native to Costa Rica. It was first formally named Pleurothallis cachensis in 1923 and transferred to the genus Acianthera in 2016.
Stellamaris pergrata is a species of flowering plant in the family Orchidaceae, native to Costa Rica, Panama and Colombia. It was first described by Oakes Ames in 1923 as Pleurothallis pergrata. It is the only species in the monotypic genus Stellamaris. The genus is one of a number established within subtribe Pleurothallidinae in 2018 as a result of a molecular phylogenetic study.
Karma is a genus of flowering plants in the orchid family, Orchidaceae. It includes 74 species native to the tropical Americas, ranging from southern Mexico through Central America, the Caribbean, and tropical South America to Bolivia and southern Brazil.
