The taxonomy of the Orchidaceae has evolved slowly during the last 250 years, starting with Carl Linnaeus who in 1753 recognized eight genera. De Jussieu recognized the Orchidaceae as a separate family in his Genera Plantarum in 1789. Olof Swartz recognized 25 genera in 1800. Louis Claude Richard provided us in 1817 with the descriptive terminology of the orchids.. The next step was taken in 1830-1840 by John Lindley, who recognized four subfamilies. He is generally recognized as the father of orchid taxonomy. The next important step was taken by George Bentham with a new classification, recognizing subtribes for the first time. This classification was first presented in a paper that Bentham read to the Royal Society in 1881. Then it was published in 1883 in the final volume of Genera Plantarum. The next great contributors were Pfitzer (1887), Schlechter (1926), Mansfeld (1937), Dressler and Dodson (1960), Garay, Vermeulen (1966), again Dressler (1981). and Burns-Balogh and Funk (1986). Dressler's 1993 book had considerable influence on later work.
The Orchidoideae, or the orchidoid orchids, are a subfamily of the orchid family (Orchidaceae).
Laeliinae is a Neotropical subtribe including 40 orchid genera, such as Brassavola, Laelia and Cattleya. The genus Epidendrum is the largest within this subtribe, containing about 1500 species. This is followed by the genus Encyclia, with over 120 species.
Satyrium is a genus of orchid. The Kew plant list for 2010 listed 85 full species as accepted, ignoring synonyms, subspecies and hybrids etc. About ten were still unresolved at the time. Most of the species occur in sub-Saharan Africa and Madagascar. The ranges of four species extend to Asia, mainly in India and Sri Lanka. Hybridization occurs between several species, complicating molecular phylogenetic studies, especially those relying on mitochondrial and chloroplast DNA sequences.
Bryobium, commonly known as urchin orchids or 藓兰属 , is a genus of flowering plants in the family Orchidaceae. Orchids in this genus are epiphytic or lithophytic plants with large, fleshy pseudobulbs, each with up to three leathery leaves and small, often hairy flowers. These orchids are found from tropical Asia to northern Australia.
Cylindrolobus is a genus of orchids with about 80 species that grow in New Guinea, Wallacea, Southeast Asia, southern China, and India.
Pinalia, commonly known as gremlin orchids, is a genus of flowering plants in the family Orchidaceae. Orchids in this genus are large epiphytic or lithophytic plants with prominent pseudobulbs, each with up to three thin, flat leaves and cup-shaped, relatively short-lived flowers with scale-like brown hairs on the outside. There are about 120 species occurring from tropical to subtropical Asia to the south-west Pacific.
Rhynchostylis is a genus in the orchid family (Orchidaceae), closely allied to the genus Vanda and comprising four currently accepted species native to the Indian Subcontinent, China, Indochina, Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines. The name consists of a compound of two Greek elements : rhynchos 'beak' and stylis 'column' – in reference to the very broad, fleshy column of the flower. The flowers are borne in dense racemes and are noted for their intense, spicy fragrance. Although lacking in pseudobulbs, the plants have leathery leaves that are drought-resistant. These orchids grow naturally in warm, moist, shaded tropical areas and will thrive in cultivation if given consistent warmth, uniform moisture and bright, but indirect light. Hobbyists wanting to grow them will need a warm, humid growing environment with gentle air movement. They can be grown in pots, but are better grown in baskets, owing to the extreme fleshiness of their roots. Their unusually fragrant blooms often appear in the slightly cooler winter months.
Ponerorchis is a genus of Asian terrestrial tuberous orchids. It is native to temperate Eurasia, from Poland to Japan, to the north of the Indian subcontinent and to northern Indochina.
Brownleea is a genus of flowering plants from the orchid family, Orchidaceae native to Africa and Madagascar. Eight species are known.
- Brownleea coeruleaHarv. ex Lindl.
- Brownleea galpiniiBolus
- Brownleea graminicolaMcMurtry
- Brownleea macrocerasSond.
- Brownleea maculataP.J.Cribb
- Brownleea mulanjiensisH.P.Linder
- Brownleea parvifloraHarv. ex Lindl.
- Brownleea recurvataSond.
Cryptochilus is a genus of flowering plants from the orchid family, Orchidaceae. Its species are native to China, the Himalayas, and Indochina.
Epistephium is a genus of flowering plants from the orchid family, Orchidaceae. It is native to South America, with a few species in Belize and Trinidad.
- Epistephium amabileSchltr.
- Epistephium amplexicaulePoepp. & Endl.
- Epistephium brevicristatumR.E.Schult.
- Epistephium duckeiHuber
- Epistephium elatumKunth in F.W.H.von Humboldt, A.J.A.Bonpland & C.S.Kunth
- Epistephium ellipticumR.O.Williams & Summerh. (Belize)
- Epistephium frederici-augustiRchb.f. & Warsz.
- Epistephium hernandiiGaray
- Epistephium lamprophyllumSchltr.
- Epistephium laxiflorumBarb.Rodr.
- Epistephium lobulosumGaray
- Epistephium lucidumCogn. in C.F.P.von Martius
- Epistephium matogrossenseHoehne
- Epistephium parviflorumLindl.
- Epistephium portellianumBarb.Rodr.
- Epistephium praestansHoehne
- Epistephium sclerophyllumLindl.
- Epistephium sessiliflorumLindl.
- Epistephium speciosumBarb.Rodr.
- Epistephium subrepensHoehne
- Epistephium williamsiiHook.f.
Myrmechis is a genus of flowering plants from the orchid family, Orchidaceae. It is native to eastern and southeastern Asia from the Kuril Islands south to New Guinea, west to the Himalayas.
- Myrmechis aurea(J.J.Sm.) Schuit. - Maluku
- Myrmechis bakhimensisD.Maity, N.Pradhan & Maiti - Sikkim
- Myrmechis bilobulifera(J.J.Sm.) Schuit. - Sulawesi
- Myrmechis chalmersii(Schltr.) Schuit. - New Guinea
- Myrmechis chinensisRolfe - Sichuan, Hubei, Fujian
- Myrmechis drymoglossifoliaHayata - Taiwan
- Myrmechis glabraBlume - Java
- Myrmechis gracilis(Blume) Blume - Java, Sumatra, Philippines
- Myrmechis japonica(Rchb.f.) Rolfe - Japan, Korea, Kuril Islands, Fujian, Sichuan, Tibet, Yunnan
- Myrmechis kinabaluensisCarr - Sabah
- Myrmechis perpusillaAmes - Luzon
- Myrmechis philippinensiisAmes - Philippines
- Myrmechis pumila(Hook.f.) Tang & F.T.Wang - Yunnan, Bhutan, Assam, Myanmar, Nepal, Thailand, Vietnam
- Myrmechis quadrilobata(Schltr.) Schuit. - Sulawesi
- Myrmechis seranicaJ.J.Sm. - Seram
- Myrmechis tsukusianaMasam. - Yakushima
- Myrmechis urceolataTang & K.Y.Lang - Yunnan, Guangdong, Hainan
Galeottiella is a genus of flowering plants from the orchid family, Orchidaceae. Traditionally it had been included in subtribe Spiranthinae, but following molecular phylogenetic and morphological studies it is now placed in a subtribe on its own, Galeottiellinae.
Platylepis is a genus of flowering plants from the orchid family, Orchidaceae. It is widespread across sub-Saharan Africa and also on various islands of the Pacific and Indian Oceans.
- Platylepis bigibbosaH.Perrier - Madagascar
- Platylepis bombusJ.J.Sm. - Seram
- Platylepis commelynae(Lindl.) Rchb.f. - Society Islands
- Platylepis constricta(J.J.Sm.) J.J.Sm. - New Guinea
- Platylepis densifloraRolfe - Réunion
- Platylepis geluana(Schltr.) Schuit. & de Vogel - New Guinea
- Platylepis glandulosa(Lindl.) Rchb.f. - widespread across tropical and southern Africa
- Platylepis grandiflora(Schltr.) Ormerod - New Caledonia, Vanuatu, Futuna
- Platylepis heteromorphaRchb.f. - Samoa
- Platylepis intricataSchuit. & de Vogel - Papua New Guinea
- Platylepis lamellataSchltr. - New Guinea
- Platylepis margaritiferaSchltr. - Madagascar
- Platylepis occulta(Thouars) Rchb.f. - Madagascar, Réunion, Mauritius, Seychelles
- Platylepis polyadeniaRchb.f. - Madagascar, Comoros
- Platylepis rufa(Frapp.) Schltr. - Réunion
- Platylepis tidorensisJ.J.Sm. - Maluku
- Platylepis viscosa(Rchb.f.) Schltr. - Réunion
- Platylepis xerosteleOrmerod - Cameroon
- Platylepis zeuxinoidesSchltr. - New Guinea
Podochileae is an orchid tribe in the subfamily Epidendroideae.
Thelasiinae is an orchid subtribe in the tribe Podochileae.
Porpax is a genus of epiphytic orchids native to southern and southeastern Asia from India to Yunnan to Borneo. As of March 2021, Plants of the World Online accepts the following species:
Pinalia chrysocardium is a species of orchid. It is native to Sumatra. It was reassigned from the genus Eria.
