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Genera Orchidacearum

The Genera Orchidacearum series presents a robust and natural classification of the orchids, something that has eluded plant scientists and orchid enthusiasts for years. The editors (A. Pridgeon, P. Cribb, M. Chase and F. Rasmussen), who are all 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. Thirty-nine specialists from ten countries contributed text towards Volume 4 alone. Each volume, covering one or two orchid subfamilies, includes comprehensive treatments for each genus, with complete nomenclature, description, distribution (with map), and summaries of our knowledge of anatomy, palynology, cytogenetics, phytochemistry, phylogenetics, pollination, ecology, and economic uses. Cultivation notes are included for those genera known to be in hobbyist collections. Taxa are beautifully illustrated with line drawings and colour photographs. The series as a whole is proving to be an indispensable reference tool for scientists, orchid breeders and growers.

Between 2001 and 2005 three volumes were published, with Volume 4 being published in March 2006, covering 433 genera in total. The final volumes, Volume 5 (already submitted) and Volume 6 are expected to be published in 2006 and 2008 respectively.

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