The strange and wonderful world of orchids, one of the oldest plant families in the world and the most popular windowsill plant in Germany. Orchids fascinate us. Orchid flowers have shapes unlike any other flowering plant, and the sheer number of species makes their diversity seem endless. As orchids have the ability to hybridize, they produce increasingly fantastic forms and a wide range of colors. In this volume, Sandra Knapp examines orchids from various perspectives, such as how cleverly they deceive their pollinators and how they manage to survive under the most challenging conditions. The text is illustrated with impressive artworks from the Natural History Museum in London. The works come from artists such as Ferdinand and Franz Bauer, Arthur Harry Church, Sydney Parkinson, and from James Bateman's The Orchidaceae of Mexico and Guatemala - a beautiful tribute to the queen among flowers.