More than 600 species and many varieties of orchids are described and illustrated. After a presentation of the morphology of orchids, accompanied by an identification key down to genus level, each species is presented following a fixed outline, describing etymology, description, bloom, habitat, distribution, country, and taxonomy. The species covered also include hybrids and aberrant individuals.
This fourth edition of the guide includes a general section which describes the anatomy, reproduction, and extraordinary strategies developed by these plants to attract insects and the latest knowledge on species classification.