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.[1]
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.^[2][3] 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.^[4] 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.