Alphabetical Species Search!
This search will take you to the head of each alphabetical listing chosen.
Use your back button to return.
Alphabetical Species Search!
This search will take you to the head of each alphabetical listing chosen.
Use your back button to return.
Welcome to the Internet Orchid Species Photo Encyclopedia
25,513species in 865 genera
SITE LAST UPDATED 3/19/24
To Search only within this site click the box below that says www.orchidspecies.com. Use any combination of words ie, Colombia red summer and then click on images at the top left hand side of the google page and Viola!, all the red flowers that bloom in the summer in Colombia appear. It works in millions of ways!
SOMETIMES ITS NOT ALWAYS ABOUT ORCHIDS. I Went to Isla Mujeres Mexico in July and dove with a pod of Whale Sharks. Scroll down there are lots of photos. BTW He spit me back out!
Orchid Site Compiler - Jay Pfahl
Copy and Photo Editor- Susan Taylor
Synonym and broken link Co-Editor - Christian Kirsch
Taxonomic Fact Checker and broken link Co-Editor - Egon Krogsgaard
Html Editor- Dave Alford
IOSPE Nomenclature Notes on New Combinations and New Species
For some of you your 1 year subscription has run out. Please check the subscribers list to see where you stand. I hope to hear from you soon! Thanks to all for making this so much easier! The subscription system of $10 per year has been a great idea and has helped quite a bit as I have been able to obtain a lot of new books and reference materials. New references though, are now becoming available and I need to have more funds to purchase them. I only use any income from this site to purchase books or pay internet costs. Not a penny goes into my pocket. If you want to keep this site with the most up to date references then please send in your subscription!!! Today is the day! We need your help! All you in other countries than the US please help as well. You are about two-thirds of the users but send in only 5% of the total subscriptions. Please send a check or international money order to
Jay Pfahl
301 Duval St
Key West Fl 33040
----OR---- The Button below is for the minimum donation amount $10.00. Please remember that this is a 2 year subscription, you will be billed next year the same amount.
Do you get a lot of benifits from using this site? Use this button below to donate $20.00 instead of the minimum $10.00.Please remember that this is a 2 year subscription, you will be billed next year the same amount.
If you are an everyday user of the site you can donate more! This button is for a 50.00 donation. Please remember that this is a 2 year subscription, you will be billed next year the same amount.
If you want to become a subscriber to IOSPE please send to Paypal c/o jfal@sprynet.com
It has come to my attention that some of you have been using photos or descriptions lifted from this site to aid in selling plants. Please be advised that we do not allow this and will prosecute offenders. Any reuse of these photos for commercial gain is patently illegal. All the photos of mine and my contributors are copyrighted and we will pursue offenders vigorously!
Commercial use is the fastest way for this page and international effort to unravel. Please be thoughtful and do not copy!!!!!!!!
DISCLAIMER
This site is compiled from photos collected from growers or photo collectors around the world and I rely on them to try to be sure of their identification. As we all know, however, many plants are mislabeled and growers and collectors can't know all species in every genera, so please be advised that to the best of our knowledge the following ID's are correct. I have hundreds of references, thanks to you all, but often many species are not well represented. I try to the best of my capabilities to be correct but as the adage goes, "To err is human". Many species herewith have been scrutinized by taxonomic experts and will be correct, but this may not be true of all the species described. If you have any questions as to the veracity of any species described in this encyclopedia please e-mail me, Jay Pfahl, at jfal@sprynet.com and we will work at correcting the mistake. As to the text it is compiled by culling notes from hundreds of books and publications [See Bibliography and source books for a partial list] but it too can be wrong in part due to my mistake or in the often conflicting reports on various orchids.
If you have been holding out on sending your orchid species photos now is the time to act. The new goal is 25000 ... I topped 7000 on July 25 2007, 8000 passed on 4/1/08, 17,000 in January 2014, and 20,000 species was attained on May/4 2016, I am closing in on 25,000 and should arrive there by 2023
Taxonomic Organization of Species, varieties and formas All varieties, formas, subspecies and the like are listed under the parent species, ie. all information and photos for Stanhopea eburnea var. grandiflora (Lindley) Regel 1856 will be found under the link for Stanhopea grandiflora [Lodd] Lindley
IF you do not find a species listed here that you know is a species, most likely I do not have a photo or drawing of it and therefore it is not included in this list. This is a photo encyclopedia not an orchid list of all plant names, although I am trying very hard to get there.
American Orchid Society Review "Orchids" 9/99
We have just gotten a rave review in Orchids Australia Feb. 2000, the Australian Orchid Society magazine!
Symbol Chart:
Fragrance = 
Light Meter Icons;
Full Shade = 
Dappled shade or Partial Shade = 
Bright Light or Full light = 
Full Sun = 
Temperature Icons;
Cold =
2500 Meters and Up, 50`F to 58`F night average - -
Cool =
1800 to 2500 Meters, 58`F to 66`F night average
Warm =
1000 meters to 1800 meters, 66`F to 75`F night average - -
Hot = 
Sea Level to 1000 Meters, 75`F to 85`F
Season Icons;
Spring = 
Summer = 
Fall = 
Winter = 
SIZE: Miniature - under 6" tall leaf and pseudobulb Small - under 12" tall leaf and pseudobulb Medium - under 24" tall Large - under 48" tall Giant - Over 48" tall
! denotes Type Species of the genus
* denotes the basionym or original name with the same species taxon
` denotes that the information is complete for the genus
Below are orchid species listed alphabetically, you can go from species to species by scrolling to the top or bottom of any page to find another alphabet bar such as this one below. All names are listed alphabetically including synonyms, so if you see your plant name without a link, there will be a reference there to procede to the name that is on this list with a link to the picture as well as cultural information for your species.
These lists have been compiled from many sources, most of which are listed in the bibliography, but the spelling and taxonomic listings are largely backed up by either Kew Monocot list The Kew Monocot list or W3 Tropicos The Missouri Botanical Gardens W3Tropicos Database unless there is a question mark after the species name or if there is no describers name presented.
It has come to my attention that some of you have been using photos from this site to aid in selling plants. Please be advised that we do not allow this and will prosecute offenders. Any reuse of these photos for commercial gain is patently illegal. All the photos of mine and my contributors are copyrighted and we will pursue offenders vigorously!
Alphabetical Species Search!
This search will take you to the head of each alphabetical listing chosen.
Use your back button to return.
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Here are four trips to Colombia 2004 2005 5/2006/ 12/2006. Let's Go!
I have finally found the time to assemble the Brazil page. A great vacation. Tudo Bem!! Come on an Orchid Safari with Marcos Campacci, Dalton Holland Baptista and Americo Docha Neto
There are lots of orchid photos. I spent 16 days in country and managed to visit Sao Paulo state beaches, littoral plain and littoral mountains as well as the Mantiquera Mountains and up to Diamantina in northern Minas Gerais all by car with the well known Brazilian orchid expert, Marcos Campacci. The name may ring a bell as he is the describer of many new Brazilian orchid species such as Cattleya tenuis. He is also the editor of Boletim CAOB and Brasil Orqueideas, 2 major orchid publications in Brazil.
I have finally found the time to assemble the Kenya page. A great vacation. Jambo!!!Come along on a SAFARI with me!!!
There are lots of animal, bird and orchid photos. We spent 16 days in country and managed to visit 5 National Parks, Samburu [Mid north], Lake Nakuru [Central], Lake Naivasha [Central], Masa Mara [southwest] and East Tsavo [southeast}. There is a hot air Balloon ride, 10 days of animal safari and 2 days of tribal visits, one, the Samburu to the north west and, two, the Masai to the southwest. A once in a lifetime experience for myself and my family. Please write and give me your comments!
Check out the new Costa Rica Page, I did a 15 day orchid trip to the jungle, see the orchids there now Take Me To Costa Rica
SITE LAST UPDATED 3/19/24
I am now accepting species photos from you, the public, to include in this page. Let's build a major resource site for orchids,
We now have 25,513 species in 865 genera and it is growing every day with your help. It's easy, just attach a scanned jpeg photo to an E-mail message to me Jay Pfahl.
Special thanks to Jin Xiao Hua; José Castaño Hernández, David Banks of Australia, Christian Kirsch; Dr. Rudolph Jenny, Peter O'Byrne***, Eric Hagsater****, Lisa Thoerle***, Mario Blanco***, Mark Whitten***, Adam Karremans, Hakan Halander****; Daniel Jimenez***, André Schuiteman***, Dr. E.F. de Vogel, Jaap Vermeulen, Rick Barry, Dr. Guido Braeme, Rogier Van Vugt; Rene Dishong, Tom Ballinger, Mac & Helen Rivenback; Dr Rubin Salueda; Rafael Govaerts****, Padre Pedro Ortiz**, Dr Leslie Garay, Vena Read, Charles Lamb, Donald Tan of Malaysia, Joseph Dougherty, Dalton Holland Baptista, Rick Cirino; Prem Subrahmanyam, ROMAN MARUSKA Czech Republic, Michael Coronado, Dr Robert & Kerry Dressler, Alexander Hirtz, Alejandro Taborda, Greg Butler and Oak Hill Gardens, Bill Bergstrom and Bergstrom Orchids, Donna Nash, Oliver Lenhard, D. E Vermeullen, Americo Docha Neto, Richard Korber, Carl Withner, Mark Nir, Ekkehard Schwadtke; Dr Eric Christenson***, Dave Alford, Igor Zhuravlev, Tony Watkinson, David Hunt, Jean Marie Vanderwinden, Glen Ladnier, Jeffrey W. Tucker, Jorge Alejandro Paulete Scaglia, Scott McGregor, Wilella Stimmell, Eric Thiessen, Geert Volckaert, George and Kathy Norris***, David Alford, Eric Hunt, Peter O'Byrne, Allen Black, Helen Milner, Al Pickrel, Greg Riemer, Marcia Whitmore, Phillipe Musschoot, Wilford Neptune, Jean-Claude George, Tony Walsh, Greg and Kerri Steenbeeke and their Orkology Kreations Website, Jim Hamilton, Robert Fuchs and RF Orchids, Gene Monier and JEM Orchids, Jerry Bolce, Andy's Orchids, Stephen Jones, First Ray Orchids, Robert Weyman Bussey, JEM Orchids, Carlos Hajek and his Peruvian Orchid Page, Bill Morden, David Morris, Noble Bashor, Patricia Harding, Nina Rach, David Haelterman; Craig Cooper, Rocky Giovinazzo, David Friedman, Bill Pinnix, Troy C. Meyers, Linda's Orchid Page, Pierre-Alain Darlet*, Guy Cantor, Tropical Orchid Farm in Maui, H&R Nursuries, Lois Greer, Ichiro "Haru" Ohsaka and his Bulbophyllum Page, Mauro Rosim from Brazil, A World Of Orchids, Bruce Norris of Canada, Nick Doe, Neville De La Rue, Nelson Barbosa Machado Neto, Jeff Aguillon, Dale and Deni Borders, Eka Mulja Tjipta, Rick Barry, Manfred Schmucker, Uri Baruk, Mike and Candy Joehrendt, Dan and Marla Nikirk, Walter Orchard, Christer Carlson; Guillerrmo Angulo, M. Max, Paula Vagner, Tennis Maynard, Greg Allikas, Malcolm Thomas, David Morris, Jacques Deschenes, Lourens Grobler; Gary Yong Gee; Judd and David Janvrin* for their photo and text contributions.
Happy Anniversary!!!!! This page is now 23 years old and 100's of times bigger than when it started, thanks to all for their help. We have been visited by people from more than 207 countries, so this is truely an international site. I was surprised to see someone from The Occupied Palestinian territories and Antarctica came up as a visitor this month.
Congratulations!!!!!You are one of more than 5457298 visitors, 4016117 of them unique users, this page has seen. Come back often and happy growing!!!!!!
Click on the Subject Below and the Section of the page will appear.
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Almost all of the preceding orchids were found near these two landscape shots, # 1 shows the cleared forests which has grown back with pine in the background and the original scrub forest with rock outcroppings in the foreground. The orchid not blooming is a Masdevallia, the bloom spike I do not think is from an orchid. Anyone? #2 Shows the stunted bushes that grow amid rock outcroppings on a hill on the sides of the savannah of Bogata'.
If anyone has any idea as to the identity of any of the previous orchids please e-mail me at:Jay Pfahl
Just Click on the Subject Below and the Section of the page will appear.
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Below are other orchid sites that I find useful.
Abundiflora Mexican PlantsHomepage of Weyman Bussey
Flora Of Zimbabwe WebSite Bart Wursten Has done an excellent job with his Flora of Zimbabwe Site. Much more than orchids, check it out. Excellent!
Orchid Mall Like above a location to find many orchid web sites.
Orchids Australia The Australian Orchid Society Page
W3 Tropicos Everwonder where I got all the taxonomic info for these pages, this is it, run by the Missouri Botanical garden this not only list almost all orchid names it also has almost every name for all plants. Lots of text info, very few pictures
Just Click on the Subject Below and the Section of the page will appear.
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Please give us your comments as to the workings of this home page, we have hopes of creating a site that will have photos of every genus and possibly cultural tips as well.
E-Mail: Jay Pfahl c/o Neptune Designs.
