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Top 20 Orchid Species and Why

There are some species in Central and Eastern Africa whose tubers are used as food by people in rural areas. The same trend is noted in case of the South African Neobolusia tysonii as well as in several Eulophia species. A sweet juice is made from the tubers and roots of several Disa and Satyrium species. In several parts of the world, certain orchids are used as food or food supplements. In Malaysia, the leaves of one species are sold as a vegetable, and the leaves of Dendrobium salaccense are cooked as a seasoning with rice.

In some regions of Ecuador, the mucilage from Catasetum is considered to be good for broken bones. Dendrobium species are used as traditional medicine and are sent overseas from Myanmar to China.

The Top 20 Orchid species having some economic, medicinal or general value are:

1. Calanthe - Large and broadly distributed genus of terrestrial orchids. The genus Calanthe has white or yellow or rose-colored flowers and broad leaves folded lengthwise.
   
2. Catasetum - Genus of tropical American orchids having showy male and female flowers usually on separate inflorescences.
3. Coelogyne – A large assorted genus of tropical Asiatic epiphytic orchids, usually having flowers of unusual shapes and beautiful colors. The genus Coelogyne has clusters of fragrant lacy snow-white flowers; salmon-pink solitary flowers; chainlike racemes of topaz and chocolate brown flowers; spikes of delicate white spice-scented flowers; emerald green flowers marked with blue-black.
4. Cymbidium - They have narrow leaves and a long drooping cluster of numerous showy and variously colored boat-shaped flowers.
   
5. Cypripedium - Predominantly American, perennial leafy-stemmed orchids, commonly known as lady's slippers due the unusual shape of the flowers and the inflated pouchlike lip.
6. Dendrobium – Dendrobium genus consists of chiefly epiphytic or lithophytic orchids, resident to tropical or subtropical Asia, Australia, and the islands of the Pacific Ocean, having stems like cane and usually showy racemose flowers.
7. Disa - Showy tropical African terrestrial orchid, beautiful, with dark green leaves and usually hooded flowers; much prized as emblematic flowers in their native regions.
   
8. Ephemerantha - About sixty epiphytic species distributed across the Himalaya, Southeast Asia, and Indonesia to New Guinea. Species flower profusely several times a year producing an inflorescence bearing intricate creamy white-yellowish flowers with a 'bearded' lip, and last only one day.
9. Eria – This species is spread in many parts of the world including Australia, New Zealand, New Guinea, Indonesia, Asia, India, China, and the Philippines. Species produce a densely flowered inflorescence bearing small white to pinkish or yellowish colored often-uninteresting flowers. Some of the species are called "woolly" referring to the soft hairs covering the inflorescence and sometimes the entire plant.
10. Eulophia - Mostly terrestrial and a few leafless, the saprophyte species in this genus is widely distributed in the world's tropics including Asia, the Pacific Islands, and South America but most species are found in Africa. Species produce an inflorescence bearing few to many often-showy flowers, which blossom over a period of time.
    
11. Galeola – It consists of 25 saprophytic genus distributed across islands off Eastern Africa to Asia, Korea, Indonesia, New Guinea, Australia and many Pacific islands. Species usually grow on rotting wood and depend on fungal symbiosis in their roots for survival.
12. Gastrodia - About twenty to thirty leafless saprophytic terrestrial species in this genus are distributed in Asia, New Guinea, the Pacific islands, Australia, and New Zealand. Species grow on decaying organic matter and are very hard to maintain in good condition. Species produce an inflorescence bearing tubular-shaped flowers with a rough or warty exterior and a complex lip.
13. Gymnadenia - About fifteen terrestrial species mostly dwarf alpine orchids, in this genus are distributed in the wet grasslands of northern temperate regions. The flowers vary in hue from pink to purple and sometimes white. All are fragrant and attractive to butterflies and moths.
    
14. Habenaria - More than 500 species in this very large deciduous terrestrial genus are distributed worldwide in damp to slightly boggy grasslands of temperate and tropical regions with most species found in Asia, Africa, and South America. Most species produce small to large usually dull green or white flowers arranged spirally on a spike or a raceme. Other species produce yellow, orange, pink and red flowers.
15. Ludisia - Only one terrestrial species is present in this genus. It is distributed across northeast India throughout Southeast Asia and Indonesia. Species is noted more for its soft, velvet deep red leaves with golden veins, than for its small white flowers.
16. Luisia - About forty monopodial epiphytic species in this genus distributed from India to tropical Asia, New Guinea, and many Pacific Islands. These species produce an inflorescence bearing white to green colored flowers with all having dark-colored, velvety lips.
    
17. Nervilia - About eighty small deciduous terrestrial species in this genus are located in Africa, Asia, New Guinea, and Australia. The species produce an inflorescence bearing one to seven large dull white, yellowish or greenish colored complex flowers that are short-lived.
18. Satyrium – There are about 100 to 150 terrestrial species in this genus distributed mostly in Africa with about five species in Madagascar, and two species in Asia. They produce dense spikes of very pretty brightly colored white, pink, red, yellow, orange, green, or purple flowers.
19. Thunia – They have about 25 terrestrial species in this genus distributed in shady tropical lowland forests of India, China, Southeast Asia, Indonesia, the Solomon Islands, and Australia. Species produce an inflorescence bearing several relatively large and long-lasting green to yellow flowers with purple markings and stripes.
    
20. Vanilla - Fifty to ninety epiphytic species in this genus distributed both in the world's tropics and subtropics including Sri Lanka, Southeast Asia, Malaysia, Indonesia, New Guinea, the Pacific Islands, West Africa, southern Florida, the Caribbean Islands, the West Indies, Mexico, and South America. Species produce few-flowered racemes, bearing successive, showy, but short-lived tubular-shaped flowers. Vanilla essence is extracted from the fleshy fruit making it the only orchid group used for non-ornamental, commercial purposes.

Our Favorite Books

The two most informative overall Orchid Books that we recommend are Orchid Grower’s Companion: Cultivation, Propagation, and Varieties and Flora's Orchids.

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