The Book of Orchids: A Life-Size Guide to Six Hundred Species from Around the World

One in every seven flowering plants on earth is an orchid. Despite their elegance, orchids remain widely misunderstood and underappreciated, retaining an air of exotic mystery. The orchid family displays an astonishing array of colors, forms, and smells that appeal to growers worldwide. While the popular moth orchid is a common grocery store standard, thousands of more complex orchid species exist, such as the Demon Queller, which grows in dark forests where its blooms are believed to ward off evil forces, or the Fetid Sun-God, which attracts female flies by emitting a scent resembling rancid cheese. The Book of Orchids showcases six hundred of the world's most intriguing orchid species through life-size photographs that capture botanical detail. Each entry includes information about distribution, peak flowering period, and each species' unique attributes, both natural and cultural. With over 28,000 known species, the orchid family is the largest and most geographically widespread flowering plant family. Written by botanists Mark Chase, Maarten Christenhusz, and Tom Mirenda, the book incorporates up-to-date science and is designed to appeal to both researchers and orchid enthusiasts.