View source for List of Orchidaceae genera

List of genera in the Orchid family ([[Orchidaceae]]), originally according to [http://biodiversity.uno.edu/delta/angio/www/orchidac.htm The Families of Flowering Plants] - L. Watson and M. J. Dallwitz. This list is adapted on a regular basis with the changes published in the ''Orchid Research Newsletter'' which is published twice a year by the [[Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew]].

[[Image:Ancistrochilus.jpg|thumb|right|250px| ''Ancistrochilus rothschildianus'']]

This [[taxonomy]] undergoes constant change and evolves rapidly, mainly through evidence from [[DNA]] study. At the moment, orchids are mostly defined by morphological similarity (structure of their flowers and other parts). Furthermore, each year about another 150 new species are being discovered. The list of genera alone currently stands just short of 1000 entries<!--- 973 --->.

From a [[Cladistics|cladistic]] point of view, the orchid family is considered a [[monophyly]], i.e. the group incorporates all the taxa derived from an ancestral group.

The taxonomy of the orchids is explained on the page [[Taxonomy of the Orchid family]].
[[Image:Ansellia gigantea nilotica.jpg|thumb|right|250px|''Ansellia africana'']]
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