This volume, based on the New RHS Dictionary of Gardening, defines and describes the orchid family combining what is current in botany with horticultural practice. The manual covers virtually all 180,000 orchid species, grexes and cultivars available. Each genus is furnished with a precise botanical account, together with guidelines for successful growing, In addition, an introductory essay explores the themes common to all orchids - their botany, propagation, hybridization, conservation and culture. There are hardy orchids - additions to the rock, bog and woodland garden, species and hybrids tough enough to withstand the most hostile locations in the home - and the vast panoply of others from the dwarf Masdevallias to the Cattleyas, Castetums and giant Grammatophyllum.