ORCHIDS OF EUROPE
THE ORCHID GENUS
 

 

The structure of the flora is based upon the systematic categories, which include the following groups of organisms of less or more closely relations: division, class, family, genus, species, subspecies and forma. This sounds good organised and easy to handle. In reality, the differentiation of the relationships between the different categories and the different species sometimes is difficult. Please look at the chapter "hybrids".

Long times ago, the plant family of the orchids splits up into three main categories. Each of them took their own way during evolution. Theses tree main categories different by the number of stamens per flower. The botanists don't agree, if these categories are subfamilies of one single family or three different families. The tree main categories are:

  • The tropical Apostasiaceae, which have three stamens per flower. World-wide two genus and 15 species are known.
  • The Cypripediaceae with two stamens each flower, four genus and about 100 species.
  • The Orchidaceae with only one stamen per flower. With about 730 genus and more than 20.000 species most of the orchids of the world belongs to this category.

In Europe only two of the three main categories can be found. First the Cypripediaceae with the one and only genus Cypripedium (lady slipper) and three different species. 35 genus and all the other European orchid species belongs to the main category of the Orchidaceae.

The following pictures show the different genus considered at orchis.de. Looking at the pictures you can see how different orchid flowers are. And yet all of them belong to the same family. The sequence of the pictures follows the system of orchids seen below.

 

 

Main group Cypripediaceae
Cypripedium
 
Cypripedium calceolus
Main group Orchidaceae
Sub-family Neottioideae
Cephalanthera
Epipactis
Goodyera
Limodorum
Cephalanthera rubra
Epipactis helleborine
Goodyera repens
Limodorum abortivum
Listera
Neottia
Spiranthes
Listera ovata
Neottia nidus-avis
Spiranthes spiralis
Sub-family Orchidoideae
Aceras
Anacamptis
Barlia
Chamorchis
Aceras anthropophorum
anacamptis pyramidalis
Barlia robertiana
Chamorchis alpina
Coeloglossum
Comperia
Dactylorhiza
Gennaria
Coeloglossum viride
Comperia comperiana
Dactylorhiza insularis
Gennaria diphilla
Gymnadenia
Habenaria
Herminium
Himantoglossum
Gymnadenia conopsea
Habenaria tridactylites
Herminium monorchis
Himantoglossum hircinum
Leucorchis
Neotinea
Neottianthe
Nigritella
Leucorchis albida
Neotinea maculata
no photo
Nigritella corneliana
no example
Ophrys
Orchis
Platanthera
Serapias
Ophrys cilicica
Orchis ovalis
Platanthera chlorantha
Serapias vomeracea
Steveniella
Traunsteinera
no photo
Transteinera globosa
no example
Sub-family Epidendroideae
Calypso
Epipogium
Hammarbya
Liparis
Calypso bulbosa
Epipogium aphyllum Hammarbya paludosa Liparis loeselii
Malaxis
Malaxis monophyllos
Sub-family Vandoideae
Corallorrhiza
 
Corallorrhiza trifida
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