Orchids, belonging to the Orchidaceae family, are among the most diverse and widespread flowering plants on Earth. With over ...

Flower enthusiast Monique Kemperman from The Joy of Plants said the orchid family has an "astonishing 25,000 species".

Now, scientists are gaining an insight into how the plant prized for its beauty colonised ... at the very start of the evolution of the orchid family, and may well have helped in their spectacular ...