WebLibNetOrchid
Late Cretaceous – Present
| image=Plant Orchid Cymbidium aloifolium P1110661 05 - cropped.jpg
| image_caption=Orchid flowers have 3 sepals and 3 petals, one modified as the lip or landing platform, as in this ''Cymbidium aloifolium''.
| taxon=Orchidaceae
| authority=Juss.
| type_genus=''Orchis''
| type_genus_authority=Tourn. ''ex'' L.
| subdivision_ranks=Subfamilies
| subdivision =
* Apostasioideae Horaninov
* Cypripedioideae Kosteletzky
* Epidendroideae Kosteletzky
* Orchidoideae Eaton
* Vanilloideae Szlachetko
| range_map=Orchidaceae.png
| range_map_caption=Distribution range of family Orchidaceae
}}Orchids are plants that belong to the family Orchidaceae (), a diverse and widespread group of flowering plants with blooms that are often colourful and fragrant. Orchids are cosmopolitan plants, living in diverse habitats on every continent except Antarctica. The world's richest diversity of orchid genera and species is in the tropics. Many species are epiphytes, living on trees. The flowers and their pollination mechanisms are highly specialized, attracting insect pollinators by colour, pattern, scent, pheromones, and sometimes by mimicking female insects. Orchids have very small seeds, relying on fungal partners for germination. Some orchids have no leaves, either photosynthesizing with their roots or relying entirely on fungal partners for food.
Orchidaceae is one of the two largest families of flowering plants. It contains about 28,000 currently accepted species in 702 genera. That represents some 6–11% of all species of seed plants. Horticulturists run many orchid societies around the world; they have produced many hybrids and cultivars. Provided by Wikipedia