MASTER FARSM

INTRODUCTIONThe orchids are flowers of exquisite beauty and variety of patterns belong to one of the largest family, the Orchidaceae and constitute about 7% of all angiosperms and nearly 40% of monocotyledons. There are about 30,000 species in nearly 750 genera and more than 77,400 natural and man - made hybrids . The orchids are worldwide in distribution with greater concentration in tropical and subtropical regions of high humidity. In India, they form 9% of our flora; nearly 1,300 species in 140 genera dwell in the country with Himalayas as their main habitat and others scattered in eastern and western ghats. In general, the terrestrial orchids are more common in North-Western India and the epiphytic ones in North-Eastern India; the orchids in Western Ghats are usually with small flowers.