Genera Orchidacearum, Volume 6: Epidendroideae (Part Three)

About this book

For centuries orchids have been among the most popular of plant families, with thousands of species and hybrids cultivated worldwide for the diversity, beauty, and intricacy of their flowers.

The Genera Orchidacearum series represents a robust and natural classification of the orchids, something that has eluded plant scientists and orchid enthusiasts for years. The editors, who are all distinguished orchid specialists, incorporate a wealth of new DNA data into a truly phylogenetic classification, identifying the areas and taxa that merit additional work. To this end, they have invited several international specialists to contribute in their particular areas of expertise. Each volume provides comprehensive coverage of one or two orchid subfamilies, and Genera Orchidacearum as a whole will be an indispensable reference tool for scientists, orchid breeders, and growers.

Orchidaceae is the largest monocotyledon family and perhaps the largest plant family in terms of number of species, approximately 25 000. Although the fossil record is limited, active molecular research in recent years has unravelled many of the complexities and phylogenetics of this cosmopolitan plant family.

This sixth and final volume treats 140 genera in tribes Dendrobieae and Vandeae of the largest subfamily, Epidendroideae, including some of the showiest orchids often used in hybridizing. Comprehensive treatments are provided for each genus, which include complete nomenclature, description, distribution (with map), anatomy, palynology, cytogenetics, phytochemistry, phylogenetics, pollination, ecology, and economic uses. Cultivation notes are included for those genera known to be in hobbyist collections. Genera are beautifully illustrated with line drawings and colour photographs. An Addendum updates a few generic accounts published in past volumes. A cumulative glossary, list of generic synonyms with their equivalents, and list of all series contributors round out this final volume in Genera Orchidacearum.

Contents

A Dendrobieae

B Vandeae
Chapter 1 Adrorhizinae
Chapter 2 Aeridinae
Chapter 3 Agrostophyllinae
Chapter 4 Angraecinae
Chapter 5 Polystachyeae

Addendum
• Additional genera
• Revised genera

References
Cumulative glossary
Corrigenda
Effective dates of publication
Generic synonyms
Series contributors
Index to scientific names
Subject index

Customer Reviews