The exact number of orchid species is unknown and estimates vary wildly, but there are at least 25,000 species and natural hybrids in close to 1000 genera. This accounts for almost ten percent of the worlds total number of flowering plants. They are an unbelievably diverse family of plants with species evolving to find a niche almost everywhere on Earth except Antarctica. The largest numbers are not surprisingly found in the warmer tropical regions of the globe. The only places where orchids are not found are the driest deserts, the coldest mountain tops, and permanent snowfields.

As mankind has fallen in love with these plants, it has been both beneficial and had a devastating effects on orchid habitats. We have also created countless numbers of artificial hybrids.