The Genus Coelogyne

Book excerpt: Coelogyne, a large genus of Asiatic orchids, comprising some 190 species and 12 varieties, is widely distributed from India and Sri Lanka across Southern Asia and the Malay archipelago to the Philippines, New Guinea and the south west Pacific Islands. The Genus Coelogyne: A Synopsis provides a comprehensive account that includes ecology, morphology, taxonomy, distribution, descriptions of each species with habitat and flowering time, and molecular phylogeny. This will be of great interest to growers and collectors as the author provides detailed information on cultivation and hybridisation based on his own extensive experience raising these fascinating orchids. Twenty-three maps, 133 colour photographs, and intricate line drawings of the lips of flowers, a critical identification feature, illustrate the text.