The orchid family (Orchidaceae family) is the largest and most diverse plant flowering family in the world. As beautiful as they are, orchids were one of the first plants to evolve on earth – over 120 million years ago. In total, there are over 35,000 species of orchids with hundreds of thousands of different hybrids.
The Chinese philosopher Confucius made the first written reference to orchids in 551 B.C., when he wrote and made note of their fragrance. In about 350 B.C., Westerners made the first reference to orchids. It was made by the Greek philosopher, Theophrastus, who wrote about the medicinal qualities of the orchid.
Today, orchids are extremely popular even though they have been written about and cultivated for hundreds of years.