Phillip Cribb

Queen of the night, Darwin's comet, lady's slipper, little dragon, black chimaera - the otherworldly names of orchid species are as beautiful as these sought-after flowers themselves. From flamboyant and colourful to strange and understated, and from alpine meadows to cloud forests, the orchid's variety and range is unparallelled - and has made it an object of obsession to plant collectors for centuries. With over 250 stunning botanical illustrations and fascinating documents from the archives at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, The Orchid explores 40 different varieties of this evocative and elusive flower.

Queen of the night, Darwin's comet, lady's slipper, little dragon, black chimaera - the otherworldly names of orchid species are as beautiful as these sought-after flowers themselves. From flamboyant and colourful to strange and understated, and from alpine meadows to cloud forests, the orchid's variety and range is unparallelled - and has made it an object of obsession to plant collectors for centuries. With over 250 stunning botanical illustrations and fascinating documents from the archives at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, The Orchid explores 40 different varieties of this evocative and elusive flower.

Comprehensive photographic guide to the orchids of the region written by leading experts, who between them have decades of orchid field and research experience. The book covers orchids from Europe and the Mediterranean, extending to Turkey and the immediate near east of North Africa and Macaronesia. Many guides to orchids of this region exist, but in this completely revised second edition, the authors have drawn on the latest scientific research to bring clarity to orchid identification and names, with an emphasis on the natural variability that exists in many wild species. With over 2000 colour photographs, and new images in the second edition, the book provides the reader with an accessible and easy to use identification guide to the natural variability seen in these orchids. The book covers 32 genera and their species.

Since the publication of the first edition of Guide to the Flowers of Western China in 2011, there have been great strides in knowledge of the flora of China through international collaboration. Many plants included in the first edition have been revisited in the wild, while areas hitherto inaccessible have opened up, if sometimes only temporarily. Great advances in systematic botany have occurred since the publication of the first edition, particularly with widespread availability of rapid DNA analysis. The result of this has been an influx of new photographs and data, and the need for a second edition of Guide to the Flowers of Western China.

This, the first major work on Cymbidium, since the authors’ classic work published in 1988, is a completely new treatment covering all current known species. Their biology, a usable classification consistent with the latest molecular techniques, evolution, ecology, distribution and cultivation are all carefully explored. With over 200 maps, photographs and paintings.

Reprinted from Kew Bulletin vol. 37, part 2, 1982. Contains 10 photographs and five line drawings.