Orchid family🌸

Orchidaceae

ラン科

One of the largest angiosperm families with about 28,000 species. Distinguished by unique flower morphology and dependence on mycorrhizal fungi. Distributed in virtually all terrestrial environments, with about 250 species native to Japan. Flower shapes show remarkable adaptations to pollinators (bees, butterflies, moths, flies, etc.).

Key Characteristics

●Specialized petal called the labellum (lip)
●Stamens and pistil fused into a column (gynostemium)
●Pollen aggregated into pollinia (pollen masses)
●Seeds extremely minute, unable to germinate without mycorrhizal fungi
●Mostly epiphytic (tropics) or terrestrial (temperate regions)

Morphological Traits

A family may include species with different trait values — multiple values indicate the range within the family.

Leaf arrangement

Alternate / Opposite / Whorled

Leaf type

Simple

Venation

Parallel

Leaf margin

Entire

Growth form

Herb

Evergreen/Deciduous

Evergreen / Deciduous

Leaf dissection

Undivided

Flower symmetry

Zygomorphic

Petal count

6 petals

Ovary position

Inferior

Stamen count

3-4

Plant sex

Hermaphrodite

Phylogenetic Position

Angiosperms > Monocots > Asparagales > Orchidaceae

Divergence Era

Late Cretaceous to Paleogene (ca. 80–76 Ma)

Representative Genera

エビネ属（Calanthe）シュンラン属（Cymbidium）ネジバナ属（Spiranthes）サギソウ属（Pecteilis）カトレア属（Cattleya）バニラ属（Vanilla）

Related Evolution Events

・Evolution of the column (fusion of stamens and pistil) dramatically increasing pollination efficiency
・Establishment of extremely minute seeds requiring mycorrhizal-dependent germination
・Independent evolution of diverse flower forms and deceptive pollination mechanisms for different pollinators

View on evolution timeline →

Plants in Orchid family on this site

Hardy Orchid Small Appendages Cremastra 紫蘭 Chinese Ground Orchid Vanilla

🌿 View in taxonomy

📚日本のランの図鑑を探す

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