Orchid
Sign in to saveOrchids are plants that belong to the family Orchidaceae (), a diverse and widespread group of flowering plants with blooms that are often colourful and fragrant. Orchids are cosmopolitan plants, living in diverse habitats on every continent except Antarctica. The world's richest diversity of orchid genera and species is in the tropics. Many species are epiphytes, living on trees. The flowers and their pollination mechanisms are highly specialized, attracting insect pollinators by colour, pattern, scent, pheromones, and sometimes by mimicking female insects. Orchids have very small seeds, rely
AI overview
Orchids are flowering plants found on every continent except Antarctica, known for their often colorful and fragrant blooms and highly specialized flowers that attract specific insect pollinators through various visual and chemical signals. They matter because they represent an exceptionally diverse group of plants, particularly in tropical regions, with many species adapted to unique ecological niches such as living on tree branches as epiphytes.
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Wikidata facts
- Instance of
- taxon
- Subclass of
- flowering plant
- Image
- PhalaenopsisOphrysPaphiopedilumMaxillaria.jpg
Show 8 more facts
- P105
- family
- P4000
- berry
- P2579
- orchidology
- P2283
- CAM photosynthesis
- P427
- Orchis
Article
27 sectionsContents
- Etymology
- Description
- Stem and roots
- Leaves
- Flowers
- Reproduction
- Pollination
- Special cases
- Asexual reproduction
- Fruits and seeds
- Evolution
- Fossil and reconstructed history
- Phylogeny
- Taxonomy
- Hybrids
- Distribution and ecology
- Species interactions
- Uses
- Horticulture
- Flavours and aromas
- Food
- Cultural symbolism
- Conservation
- See also
- Notes
- References
- External links
Orchids are plants that belong to the family Orchidaceae (), a diverse and widespread group of flowering plants with blooms that are often colourful and fragrant. Orchids are cosmopolitan plants, living in diverse habitats on every continent except Antarctica. The world's richest diversity of orchid genera and species is in the tropics. Many species are epiphytes, living on trees. The flowers and their pollination mechanisms are highly specialized, attracting insect pollinators by colour, pattern, scent, pheromones, and sometimes by mimicking female insects. Orchids have very small seeds, relying on fungal partners for germination. Some orchids have no leaves, either photosynthesizing with their roots or relying entirely on fungal partners for food.
Orchidaceae is one of the two largest families of flowering plants. It contains about 28,000 currently accepted species in around 700 genera. That represents some 6–11% of all species of seed plants. Horticulturists run many orchid societies around the world; they have produced many hybrids and cultivars.