The Chinese flora, with an estimated 31,500 species, is of immense scientific and horticultural importance. Noteworthy, too, is Chinese traditional medicine, which is based on the remarkable plant resources of the country. Descriptions and identification keys for this diverse flora, until now unavailable in English, have been published over the past 17 years in the Flora of China, in conjunction with a separate series, the Flora of China Illustrations. Thirty-six of the total of 48 text and illustration volumes have already been published, thanks to an unprecedented and long-standing collaboration between Western and Chinese scientists.

Volume 25 of the illustrations series is devoted to one plant family of enormous significance and interest, namely, the orchid family (Orchidaceae), with 1,388 species in China, of which 491 are endemic. People have delighted in orchids for thousands of years. The seventh-century poet Ch`en Tzu-ang described their “red petals rising from purple stems.” In the eighth century, poet Li Ho evoked the “rich fragrance” of orchids. Confucius is said to have cultivated them. Today they are the backbone of the horticulture industry. Examples, both available in nurseries, are: Gymnadenia conopsea, pale pink and fragrant (p. 180); and Dactylorhiza fuchsii, with pale to deep pink flowers and the labellum or lip with deep purple spots sometimes forming stripes (p. 162). Orchid lovers appreciate the variety of forms and colors the flower takes. Pollinators such as bees, flies, or beetles often find the labellum useful as a platform.