This is a list of genera in the Orchid family (Orchidaceae), originally according to 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.
This taxonomy undergoes constant change, 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.
From a cladistic point of view, the orchid family is considered to be monophyletic, 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.
There are five recognized subfamilies:
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