Orchid (family Orchidaceae), any of almost 1,000 genera and more than 22,000 species of beautifully flowered plants spreaded throughout the world, particularly in wet tropics. Orchidaceae is a member of Asparagales, an order of monocotyledonous flowering plants which includes the asparagus and iris families too. The word orchid comes from the Greek word (orchis) for testicle because of the appearance of the root tubers in some species of the Orchids. These nonwoody perennial plants are usually terrestrial or epiphytic herbs (i.e., growing on other plants rather than rooted in soil). Those attached to other plants often are vinelike and have a spongy root covering named the velamen which takes in water from the nearby air. Most species produce their own food, but some live on dead organic material (saprophytic) or are helped to get nourishment by fungi living in their roots.
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Epiphytic orchids (Dendrobium).