Home›Flowering Plants›Taxonomy›OrchidaceaeTaxaOrchidaceaePlant FamiliesReference and ClassificationVerifiedOrchidaceae is a diverse and widespread family of flowering plants whose members, orchids, produce blooms that are often colorful and fragrant. One of the two largest families of flowering plants, it contains about 28,000 currently accepted species in around 700 genera, representing roughly 6 to 11 percent of all seed plant species, distributed across all continents except Antarctica with the greatest diversity in the tropics; many species are epiphytes living on trees, and most depend on specialized pollination mechanisms and fungal partners for seed germination.FactsOrchidaceaeConnectionsIn the Other AtlasesSourcesComments (0)Reader Challenges (0)FactsTaxonomic RankWell-attestedFamily 1Scientific NameWell-attestedOrchidaceae 1Member Species/Taxa CountWell-attested28,000 1Geographic DistributionWell-attestedCosmopolitan, on every continent except Antarctica 1Defining CharacteristicsWell-attestedBilateral symmetry of the flower (zygomorphism) and many resupinate flowers 1Member Count BandWell-attestedOver 1000 Species 3Era First AppearedWell-attestedNeogene 4IdentificationDistinguishing AppearanceWell-attestedFlowers very varied in form, with three sepals and three petals 1ClassificationLiving or ExtinctWell-attestedYes 2OrchidaceaeFilter Results5 entriesCommon GroupAllLilies And Orchids (Liliales/Asparagales) (5)Everyday GroupAllLilies And Orchids (Liliales/Asparagales) (5)HabitatAllTropical Rainforest (1)Wetlands (1)Where It LivesAllAsia (1)Australia (2)Bahamas (1)Bangladesh (2)Belize (1)Colombia (1)Comoros (1)Costa Rica (1)Cuba (1)Dominican Republic (1)Ecuador (1)El Salvador (1)Guatemala (1)Guyana (1)Honduras (1)Indonesia (1)Jamaica (1)Laos (1)Madagascar (1)Mauritius (1)Myanmar (1)Nicaragua (1)North America (2)Paraguay (1)Peru (1)Philippines (1)Seychelles (1)South Asia (1)Suriname (1)Thailand (1)Tonga (1)Venezuela (1)Vietnam (1)Conservation StatusAllCritically Endangered (2)Endangered (1)Not Evaluated (1)DietAllPhotosynthetic Autotroph (5)System (Realm)AllTerrestrial (4)Living or ExtinctAllYes (5)Relationship to PeopleAllFarmed or Commercially Raised (1)CITES AppendixAllAppendix II (5)NatureServe RankAllG1 Critically Imperiled (1)EcosystemAllEverglades (1)Show ResultsBrowseCompareSelect all 5Ghost OrchidOrchidaceaeMoth OrchidOrchidaceaeRhizanthella gardneriOrchidaceaeVanda coeruleaOrchidaceaeVanilla Orchid (Vanilla planifolia)OrchidaceaeConnectionsParent Taxon OfAmbrella longituba, Species Well-attested Source Ambrella longituba (Wikipedia)Cymbidium goeringii, Species Well-attested Source Cymbidium goeringii (Wikipedia)Ghost Orchid, Species Well-attested Source Wikidata: Ghost OrchidMoth Orchid, Species Well-attested Source Wikidata: Moth OrchidRhizanthella gardneri, Species Well-attested Source Rhizanthella gardneri (Wikidata)tier 2Vanda coerulea, Species Well-attested Source GBIF Backbone Taxonomy: Vanda coeruleaVanilla Orchid (Vanilla planifolia), Species Well-attested Source Vanilla planifolia (Wikidata)tier 2In the Other AtlasesFound InAntarcticaAlso in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.Sources1. Wikipedia: OrchidLead, first sentence, family clausebelong to the family OrchidaceaeLead, first sentence, subjectOrchids are plants that belong to the family OrchidaceaeLead, sentence on species and generaabout 28,000 currently accepted species in around 700 generaLead, second sentenceOrchids are cosmopolitan plants, living in diverse habitats on every continent except AntarcticaDescriptionAmong these are: bilateral symmetry of the flower (zygomorphism), many resupinate flowersFlowersOrchid flowers are very varied in form. They have three sepals, three petalsIn Group: Monocot Families, LeadOrchids are plants that belong to the family Orchidaceae (), a diverse and widespread group of flowering plants with blooms that are often colourful and fragrant.View the Source2. Orchid (Wikipedia)about 28,000 currently accepted speciesView the Source3. Catalogue of Life (ChecklistBank): Taxon metrics for OrchidaceaeCatalogue of Life (ChecklistBank)Taxon metrics, speciesExtantCountQuote, Taxon metrics, speciesExtantCount"speciesExtantCount": 32235View the Source4. Paleobiology Database: Taxon record for OrchidaceaePaleobiology DatabaseTaxon record, first appearance (firstapp_max_ma, early_interval)Quote, Taxon record, first appearance (firstapp_max_ma, early_interval)"taxon_name": "Orchidaceae" ... "firstapp_max_ma": 23.04 ... "early_interval": "Aquitanian"View the SourceWikidata: OrchidaceaeWikidata Q25308, class allow-list match (w-wdresolver-0926)View the SourceWikidata: Ghost OrchidParent Taxon Of: Ghost Orchid, Wikidata parent-taxon (P171) chainView the SourceWikidata: Moth OrchidParent Taxon Of: Moth Orchid, Wikidata parent-taxon (P171) chainView the SourceVanilla planifolia (Wikidata)tier 2WikidataParent Taxon Of: Vanilla Orchid (Vanilla planifolia), Wikidata parent-taxon (P171) chainView the SourceRhizanthella gardneri (Wikidata)tier 2WikidataParent Taxon Of: Rhizanthella gardneri, Wikidata parent-taxon (P171) chainView the SourceAmbrella longituba (Wikipedia)Parent Taxon Of: Ambrella longituba, Lead, familyQuote, Parent Taxon Of: Ambrella longituba, Lead, familyAmbrella is a monotypic genus in the orchid family.View the SourceCymbidium goeringii (Wikipedia)Parent Taxon Of: Cymbidium goeringii, LeadQuote, Parent Taxon Of: Cymbidium goeringii, Leadis a species of terrestrial orchidView the SourceGBIF Backbone Taxonomy: Vanda coeruleaGBIF Backbone TaxonomyParent Taxon Of: Vanda coerulea, Taxon recordQuote, Parent Taxon Of: Vanda coerulea, Taxon record"family": "Orchidaceae"View the SourceComments (0)No comments yet. Be the first to share a thought.Sign in to join the discussion.Reader Challenges (0)No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.Sign in to dispute this or suggest a correction.