What Are Orchids?

Abstract

Orchidaceae is the largest family of flowering plants in the world, having conquered every continent except Antarctica. As of 2017, the number of genera is somewhere between 736 and 900, with 28,000 species, but this number is increasing every year [1]. This is out of approximately 300,000 flowering plant species in total. About 14,000 of the orchid species are epiphytes, in that they grow on trees, although they take nothing from the tree except a perch for support. Epiphytes are mostly found in Mexico, Central and South America, as well as Asia and the Pacific Islands. Terrestrial orchids are mostly found in North America, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand.