Orchidaceae Temporal range: 80–0 Ma Late Cretaceous – Recent
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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.
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Subfaimilies | |
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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.