Description of Family

Orchidaceae
• 28,000 accepted species in around 763 genera plus more than 150,000 hybrids and
cultivars.
• Classification.
• Cassification is constantly changing but orchids are subdivided into the subfamilies
Apostasioideae,
Cypripedioideae, Epidendroideae, Orchidoideae and Vanilloidea.
• Subfamily Apostasioideae flowers have 3 (2) fertile anthers.
These are thought to be the oldest or basal orchids. 2 genera with 15 species.
• Subfamily Cypripedioideae flowers have 2 fertile anthers. Contains the Lady’s
slipper orchids which
have the medial petal (labellum) shaped like a pouch.
• Subfamily Orchidoideae flowers have 1 fertile anther and there are around 3,500
species.
• Subfamily Vanilloidea flowers have 1 fertile anther. There are 15 genera and about
180 species.
Vanilla is one of the few orchids that grow as long vines.
• Subfamily Epidendroideae is divided into 16 tribes including:
• Malaxideae with Dendrobium orchids,
• Cymbidieae which has Cymbidium and Oncidium orchids,
• Epidendreae which includes the genera Cattleya, Epidendrum and Laelia,
 Taxonomic Description
Bentham & Hooker Engler & Prantl Hutchinson
Class: Monocotyledones Monocotyledoneae Monocotyledons
Series: Microspermae Microspermae corolliferae
Order: - Orchidales
Family: Orchideae Orchidaceae Orchidaceae
Diagnostic characteristics
• Terrestrial or epiphytic or saprophytic
• Strongly zygomorphic
• Perianth segment in 2 whorls
• Petaloid
• Modified stamens – pollen in granular waxy masses
• Inferior ovary – numerous and minute seeds
• Without embryo
Habit and Vegetative Characters
• A characteristic is that the stamens, stigma and style fused into a
central column above the inferior ovary.
They are also bilaterally symmetric with 3 sepals and 3 petals,
often with resupinate (upside down) flowers, very
small seeds and nearly always a medial petal which is enlarged
and modified (a labellum).
• Orchids are perennial herbs and grow in almost every habitat.
Most are epiphytic in tropical or subtropical areas, others are
terrestrial and prefer temperate areas.
• Aerial roots can be metres long and the roots of terrestrial orchids
may be rhizomatous or form tubers or corms.
Orchids exhibit two types of growth
– monopodial and sympodial
• Monopodial orchids produce one upright stem from a
bulb, have alternate leaves and the flowers grow from the
leaf axils near the top of the plant.
An example is Vanda orchids -stems up to 2 metres or
more high.
• Sympodial orchids spread laterally with successive
upright stems forming along a creeping rhizome.
As one flowering stem dies another one forms further
along the rhizome.
The flowering stems have a variously shaped swollen
base (pseudobulb) which stores water and nutrients and has
one or several leaves on the top.
Leaves
• The majority of orchids have simple leaves with smooth
edges and parallel veins (a few have a network).
• They can be minute or up to metre long. They have no
stalks and their bases usually sheath the branch.
• Leaf arrangement is commonly in a spiral or 2 ranks, rarely
whorled.
• They can be ovate, lanceolate, round or folded lengthwise;
thin or fleshy; wide or narrow;
• annual or perennial and some have a waxy coating to help
preserve water.

• Most are shades of green but they can be greyish or bluish

or other colours and some are patterned.
Inflorescence
• Flowers may be
• solitary or there can be
• many along a flower stalk.

• They can grow from the base of the plant,

• the tip of the stem, or
• in the leaf axils.
 Flower
• Huge range of shapes, sizes and colours of both the sepals and petals.
• Sepals and petals are sometimes difficult to distinguish and are then
collectively called tepals.
• The three sepals may all be of equal size, one may be larger, and some
or all may be fused.
• There are three petals and the medial one is always modified and
enlarged and is called the labellum or lip. The other two are the
laterals.
• The labellum is often the most prominent and ornate part of the flower.
In flowers with 2 stamens -shaped like a pouch and acts as a
landing pad for pollinators.
In flowers with only 1 stamen - the labellum may be flat, lobed or
a tube.
• During development most orchid flowers undergo resupination where
the individual flower stalks or ovaries rotate through 180 degrees so
the originally upper medial petal (the lip) becomes the lower medial
Cymbidium
• The Cymbidium genus, known as boat orchids, has about 60 species.
• Terrestrial cymbidiums - sympodial growth, form pseudobulbs and have
abundant roots.
Form large clumps, grow up to 60 cm high and have long, strap-like,
leathery leaves.
Inflorescences grow from the base of the plant and each can have up to
50 flowers.
• Flowers are resupinate and waxy.
The sepals and lateral petals are all about the same size and often the
same colour.
The medial petal may be a different colour, be larger and have a frilled
edge.
It commonly has various markings such as spots and stripes.
• They come in almost every colour except blue –
• white, and shades of green, yellow, brown, red and cream.
• There are tens of thousands of hybrids losely divided by flower size –
miniature less than 6 cm; intermediate 6-9 cm and standard over 9
cm.
Epidendrum – crucefix
orchid
• The Epidendrum genus has about 1,100 species after
almost as many were moved into other genera.
Hundreds more are still being discovered.
• There are only a few natural hybrids but epidendrums
hybridise easily.
Hybrid parents include Cattleya (Epicattleyas),
Brassavola (Brassoepidendrum) and Laelia.
• Distinguishing features include the
• whole length of the column commonly being fused to
the lip and a slit in the rostellum after its viscidium has
been removed
There are epiphytic, lithophytic and terrestrial species and they often form
clumps.
They range from miniatures to large plants up to 150 cm or more high.
They can have basal or aerial roots.
2 groups based on the stem:
Reed-stem species:
•monopodial with cylindrical reed-like stems.
•stems can be erect, drooping, scrambling or creeping, branched or unbranched.
•there are numerous alternating leaves.
•they can grow very tall.
•the commonest type, most flower constantly with new flowers growing at the top
of the stem.
•examples include E. cinnabarimum and E. ibaguense.

Pseudobulb species:
•these are sympodial with rounded or oblong pseudobulbs.
•often only 1 to a few leaves at the top.
•they tend to become dormant for a while after flowering.
•examples include E. radicans and E. obrienianum.
Leaves
• Leaves are variable ranging from 1 to numerous,
alternating and distichous.
• They can be sessile or have a stalk.
• They are often ovate or elliptic but can be lanceolate,
linear, strap-like or rarely semi-cylindrical
• Texture varies from leathery to membranous or fleshy.
• Most are green but some are lined, blotched or with
purple tints.
• The edge is usually entire but can have very fine
rounded teeth.
Inflorescences
• are mostly apical or lateral but occasionally basal; long or short,
straight or arching.
• There can be bracts, sometimes overlapping, at the base of the
inflorescence and bracteoles at the base of the individual flower
stalks.
• Flowers are variously arranged along the stem and can open
simultaneously or successively.
• They may or may not be resupinate.
• Inflorescences are from 25 to 60 cm long with resupinate or non-
resupinate flowers.
• Most are around 2.5 – 3.5 cm across but up to 6 cm.
• New flowers form at the tip over most of the year.
Flowers
• Many flowers are small to medium sized but others are up to 5 cm
across and showy.
• The sepals and the slightly narrower lateral petals are usually free.
• They can be spreading to various degrees, curved backwards or
rarely funnel-like.
• The backs of the lateral sepals may have a prominent ridge or
keel.
Shapes vary from ovate to elliptic to almost linear.
• Flower colour can be greenish-yellow to white, pink, red, brown,
purple or orange.
• Some are bicoloured or have spots or speckles.
LIP
• The lip is usually long and ornate, can be entire or 3 to 4
lobed, and is frequently fringed.
The surface may be smooth or have round or linear
ridges or calli; one or more keels; hairs or papillae.
• Most epidendrums have the column totally fused to the
lip but in a few but they are separate or partly fused.
• This forms a nectary tube (rarely producing nectar)
which usually extends into the ovary.
• When the column is free it may have wings or rarely, it
forms a basal sac with the labellum.
It can be straight or arched with the top entire, slit or
fringed.
• The anther hood at the top may be small or large
enough to cover the whole column.
• The large or small concave stigma is on the front of the
column and usually has protruding lateral lobes.
• The rostellum above the stigma has a semi-liquid
viscidium which, when removed, leaves an elliptical slit
in almost all species.
Vanda
Description
• Evergreen, mostly epiphytic with some lithophytic or
terrestrial.

• No pseudobulbs and from miniatures up to metres tall.

• Stems are unbranched or sparsely branched from the

base.

• They have very large aerial root systems.

Leaves
• Leaves are very variable depending on where they are
growing.
• They are leathery and arranged in 2 ranks with bases
sheathing the stem.
• Leaves can be well spaced, crowded with overlapping
bases or arise from the base.
• They can be curved and strap-like; and flat or folded
longitudinally.
Some have semi-cylindrical leaves.
• The tips may be irregular as if chewed.
 Inflorescence
• Axillary inflorescences have up to about 15 flowers.
• Each flower has small bracts partly sheathing the bases of their stalks.
• Resupinate flowers are flat, circular and from about 3 cm up to 10 cm
across.
• Perianth segments are thickish, all free and spread outwards.
• They have narrow bases and the margins may be wavy.
• The dorsal sepal may be similar to, or different from, the lateral ones.
• The lateral petals are free and narrower than the sepals.
• The medial petal, with the base of the column, forms a spur.
• The spur is short, conical and with a blunt tip.
• The 3-lobed lip is stiff and has large or small lateral lobes.
• The medial lobe is large, projects forwards, and is split into 2 lobes
which often curve downwards.
• The lip has low, fleshy ridges or calli.
Flower
• colours – cream, yellow, brown, orange, burgundy,
purple, red and pink.
• V. coerulea is a bluish-purple – a colour rare among
orchids. It is often called blue.
• Many have markings such as spots, mottled areas or
tessellated (checkered) patterns.
• When hybridised with Ascocentrum, flowers can be
white, green or almost any colour.
• Vandas do not produce nectar in the spur but
Ascocentrum and its hybrids do.
Pollinia and rostellum
• The column is short, thick and straight with short wings.
• The concave stigmatic area has a large or small
rostellum above it with a large viscidium.
• The anther is terminal with 2 hard, yellow pollinia.
• Dehiscent capsules release many pale winged seed.
Ascocenda
• Tribe Vandeae > Subtribe Aeridinae > Alliance Hybrids > × Ascocenda.
• The × Ascocenda group consists of hybrids between Ascocentrum
species (compact plants and flowers with many colours) and Vanda
species (large flowers).
• They are compact, evergreen epiphytes with thick aerial roots along
the stem.
• Leathery leaves are in 2 ranks along the thick stem.
• Axillary inflorescences usually have up to 8 smaller, brightly coloured
flowers.
• The perianth segments can be spread out or can roll under slightly.
• They occur in almost every colour (except a true blue) often with areas
of contrasting colours or markings
Oncidium – Dancing
Ladies
Oncidium
• Sub-tribe Oncidiinae has about 70 closely related
genera with over 1,000 species collectively known as
the Oncidium Alliance.
• There are hundreds of thousands of hybrids between
species in a genus and intergeneric hybrids with up to 5
parent species from the Alliance.
• Oncidium, Ondontoglossum and Miltonia are commonly
hybridised but many other genera are used.
• Oncidium is the largest genus in the Alliance with up to
about 650 highly variable species. Most are epiphytes
with some lithophytic or terrestrial.
• Size varies from miniatures up to 5 metres tall.
Description
• Most species have flattened pseudobulbs with leaf-like
basal bracts.
• They are topped by up to 3, flat or rounded leaves up to
30 cm long.
• Branching inflorescences are axillary and erect or
arching.
• They are up to 1 metre long with 1 to 20 flowers.
Flowers
• Flowers show a large variety of shapes and sizes but
ones commonly seen have round flowers 2-3 cm across
with a very large lip.
• The sepals and lateral petals spread outwards and may
have slightly ruffled edges.
• The medial lip is large, or very large, with a ruffled
edge.
• There is no spur.
• There is a complicated callus on the lip.
• The column has wings on either side of the stigma but
no foot
Vanilla
Vanilla sp. orchids
• Family Orchidaceae > Subfamily Vanilloideae > Tribe
Vanilleae.
• There are 110 species of which up to 3 are used
commercially to produce vanilla.
• The main one is Vanilla planifolia
• A widespread, evergreen, epiphytic orchid that grows as
a vine.
• The largely unbranched stems are up to 30 m long.
• Aerial roots attach them to trees or any support.
Leaves
• The dark green, oblong leaves are alternately arranged
along the stem.
• Vanilla panifolia’s name comes from its flat leaves.
• They are up to 14 cm long, thick and leathery to fleshy.
(Some species have reduced or no leaves.)
Inflorescence
• Axillary inflorescences have about 20 (100) flowers on short stalks.
They only open for a day.
• They are about 3 cm long and can be all white, cream or greenish and
some species have coloured lips.
• The sepals and lateral petals are similar.
• The medial petal or lip has lateral lobes that form a tube around the
column.
• The long column has the anther at the top, above the stigmatic area and
rostellum.
• The fruit is a dehiscent capsule up to 30 cm long.
• It takes up to 9 months to ripen and release hundreds or thousands of
tiny black seeds.