Research trends and perspectives on African orchids: a bibliometric overview

Abstract

Worldwide scientific publications on the remarkably diverse Orchidaceae family are comprehensive, but Africa's craze for the taxon was only felt a few decades ago. This largest and threatened family of flowering plants is widely distributed in tropical areas and recognized by several authors for its environmental, ornamental, and medicinal importance. This review aims to identify research patterns on African orchids using co-citation analysis and bibliometric information visualization. 386 publications concerning African orchids listed in the Scopus database from 1968 to May 2020 were recorded and reviewed. The description of new orchid taxa, the adaptation of orchids to various pollinators and phylogeny emerged as the most discussed aspects. In total, 889 authors have invested in research on orchids in Africa. Johnson Steven D. was the most impactful author with h-index 37. Interestingly, several institutions were involved in these studies with a large dominance of the University of KwaZulu-Natal, a South African University. Future research efforts should target the identification of new orchid species and emphasize on orchid distribution, ecology, and species’ threats. They should also focus on developing efficient management and domestication strategies for orchid species to reduce threats to this family. The restoration and conservation planning of degraded orchid habitats are additional avenues to be explored by future research.