There are thousands of orchid species.
In fact, botanists generally consider this to be the largest plant family, with more than 30,000 different species.
This is a bewildering number of organisms and suggests there are plenty of evolutionary pathways being "tried out" within the family.
As a group, orchids form a natural assemblage, and there is usually no mistaking an orchid once you can study it at hand.
Of course, there is tremendous variation among these species, and that is one of the reasons this is such a fascinating plant group.
Orchids are found worldwide (except in Antarctica), in a remarkable array of sizes, flower shapes and architecture, as well as habitats and ecosystems.
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