Orchidaceae

Orchidaceae Temporal range: 80–0 Ma PreЄ Є O S D C P T J K Pg N Late Cretaceous – Recent
Colour plate frae Ernst Haeckel's Kunstformen der Natur, 1906
Scientific classification
Kinrick:	Plantae
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Monocots
Order:	Asparagales
Faimily:	Orchidaceae Juss.
Teep genus
Orchis Tourn. ex L.
Subfaimilies
Apostasioideae Horaninov Cypripedioideae Kosteletzky Epidendroideae Kosteletzky Orchidoideae Eaton Vanilloideae Szlachetko
Distribution range o faimily Orchidaceae

Orchidaceae is a diverse an widespread faimily o flouerin plants wi blooms that are eften colourfu an eften fragrant, commonly kent as the orchid faimily. Alang wi the Asteraceae, thay are ane o the twa lairgest faimilies o flouerin plants, wi atween 21,950 an 26,049 currently acceptit species, foond in 880 genera. Selecting which of the two families is larger is still under debate, as concrete numbers on such enormous families are constantly in flux. Regardless, the nummer o orchid species equals mair nor twice the nummer o bird species, an aboot fower times the nummer o mammal species. The faimily an aa encompasses aboot 6–11% o aw seed plants. The lairgest genera are Bulbophyllum (2,000 species), Epidendrum (1,500 species), Dendrobium (1,400 species) an Pleurothallis (1,000 species).

The faimily an aa includes Vanilla (the genus o the vanilla plant), Orchis (type genus), an mony commonly cultivatit plants such as Phalaenopsis an Cattleya. Mairower, syne the introduction o tropical species in the 19t century, horticulturists hae produced mair nor 100,000 hybrids an cultivars.