Taxonomy of The Orchidaceae

Taxonomy Of The Orchidaceae

The taxonomy of the orchid family has evolved slowly during the last 250 years, starting with Carolus Linnaeus who in 1753 recognized eight genera. De Jussieu recognized the Orchidaceae as a separate family in 1789. Olof Swartz recognized 25 genera in 1800. Louis Claude Richard provided us in 1817 with the descriptive terminology of the orchids. The next step was taken in 1830-1840 by John Lindley, who recognised four subfamilies. He is generally recognized as the father of orchid taxonomy. The next important step was taken by George Bentham in 1881 with a new classification, recognizing subtribes for the first time. The next great contributors were Pfitzer (1887), Schlechter (1926), Mansfeld (1937), Dressler and Dodson (1960), Garay (1960, 1972), Vermeulen (1966), again Dressler (1981) and Burns-Balogh and Funk (1986).

Read more about Taxonomy Of The Orchidaceae:  History, Taxonomy, Subfamily Apostasioideae, Subfamily Epidendroideae, Subfamily Higher Epidendroideae, Not Assigned