Monocots III: Orchids
Orchid plants growing in the Lower Nursery at RBG Kew
Orchidaceae are one of the most species-rich angiosperm families with approximately 25,000 species in roughly 850 genera, accounting for 8-10% of all flowering plants and one-third of all monocotyledons. The family is distributed worldwide but is most diverse and numerous in the tropics and subtropics, particularly in Mediterranean climatic zones. The orchid floras of many countries are poorly known, and between 200-500 new species are being described every year.
Orchids are a major focal area for RBG Kew's research. Current orchid research at Kew includes economic botany, tropical and temperate Floras, monographs, revisions and evolutionary studies at all taxonomic levels. Studies carried out include morphology, biochemistry, cytogenetics and genetics.
The major objective for the orchid programme is to maintain and develop Kew’s systematic and phylogenetic research and expertise so that we remain a world leader in orchid systematics. We also aim to develop expertise, information and products that are useful in the conservation and sustainable development of orchids in their natural habitats.
The Orchid Team at Kew is composed of researchers in HPE, the Herbarium, the Jodrell Laboratory and the Seed Conservation Department. We are active in Collections (type images/databases, livings collections, DNA Bank and seeds), Baseline Plant Diversity Research (Floras and monographs), Comparative Plant Biology (molecular phylogenetic studies, seed biology, anatomy, genomics, evolutionary development, Genera Orchidacearum and other evolutionary studies) and Conservation and Environmental Monitoring (conservation genetics, recovery programme development, CITES checklists and IUCN/Species Survival Commission).
From the above, it is clear that Kew's orchid research is extensive and comprehensive. Our aim is to serve as a focus for international research into the many areas of orchid biology. To further that aim we provide a wide range of orchid information on the Internet, most recently a checklist of orchid names and eventually images of type material from the Herbarium. Our largest project is the Genera Orchidacearum series (to eventually consist of six volumes, four of which have been published so far). This series (three of the editors are Kew-based) provides monographic information on each genus, including what is known about their distribution, morphology, ecology, pollination biology, phylogenetics, phytochemistry, cytology and taxonomy. This monumental series with contributors throughout the world has no parallel and will serve as the baseline information for a wide range of scientific studies of Orchidaceae in the future.