Orchid Conservation

The purpose of the Native Orchid Conference is to foster the study, conservation and enjoyment of the native orchids of the United States and Canada. Membership is open to anyone who is interested in wild orchids. Our membership has a wide range of experience and includes both scientists and hobbyists.

NAOCC is based at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center in Edgewater, MD.

• A growing alliance of over 60 botanic gardens, public and private landowners, researchers, educators, and citizens

• Founding partners include the National Zoological Park, the National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Gardens, and the U.S. Botanic Garden

• Collaborators share the common goals of preserving habitats, creating and maintaining national collections of seeds and orchid mycorrhizal fungi, and conducting research on orchid ecology, conservation and restoration.

• Education and outreach are key aspects of NAOCC’s aim to provide the public with opportunities to join in the effort to conserve native orchids.

• NAOCC’s model and protocols have been adopted by European groups establishing the European Orchid Conservation Center and the Interactive Conservation platform for Orchids Native to Greece/Turkey (with funding through the European Union).

• In a joint initiative with the U.S. Forest Service’s Institute of Pacific Islands Forestry, NAOCC also established an orchid conservation program for the western Pacific island nation of Palau.

The Orchid Conservation Alliance (OCA) was founded in 2004 as a California corporation and a 501(c) 3 federal tax-exempt organization. A more detailed account of the history was published in Orchid Digest in 2019. Currently the OCA has a mailing list of over 700 members and about 25 orchid societies.

The focus of the OCA has been to raise money to conserve land in orchid-rich regions of the world. Since its inception, the OCA has raised over $650,000 to support the creation or expansion of 7 orchid reserves, and preserved nearly 4600 acres of pristine, primary biodiverse orchid rich habitats.

Our fund raising is a mix of different activities: presentations to orchid societies, booths at orchid shows, a presence on Facebook and Instagram, direct mailing to our membership, and telling people what we are doing every chance that we get. In addition, our Orchids in the Wild™ Ecotours have succeeded in introducing hundreds of orchid lovers to the wonders of seeing orchids growing in their natural habitats in countries around the globe: North America  (Ohio (USA), Newfoundland (Canada)), Chiapas (Mexico), South America (Colombia, Ecuador, Brazil (Rio de Janeiro, Rio Negro, Bahia)), Europe (France, Greece (Crete, Rhodes), Sicily, Spain, Switzerland), Asia (China (North and South Yunnan, Sichuan, Fujian), Nepal, Papua New Guinea, Thailand, as well as South Africa and Madagascar.

CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) is an international agreement between governments. Its aim is to ensure that international trade in specimens of wild animals and plants does not threaten the survival of the species.

Flora of North America builds upon the cumulative wealth of information acquired since botanical studies began in the United States and Canada more than two centuries ago. Recent research has been integrated with historical studies, so that the Flora of North America is a single-source synthesis of North American floristics. FNA has the full support of scientific botanical societies and is the botanical community's vehicle for synthesizing and presenting this information.

The Flora of North America Project will treat more than 20,000 species of plants native or naturalized in North America north of Mexico, about 7% of the world's total. Both vascular plants and bryophytes are included.

Species descriptions are written and reviewed by experts from the systematic botanical community worldwide, based on original observations of living and herbarium specimens supplemented by a crucial review of the literature. Each treatment includes scientific and common names, taxonomic descriptions, identification keys, distribution maps, illustrations, summaries of habitat and geographic ranges, pertinent synonymy, chromosome numbers, phenology, ethnobotanical uses and toxicity, and other relevant biological information.

PLANTS Database provides standardized information about the vascular plants, mosses, liverworts, hornworts, and lichens of the United States and its territories. It includes names, plant symbols, checklists, distributional data, species abstracts, characteristics, images, crop information, automated tools, web links, and references. This information primarily promotes land conservation in the United States and its territories, but academic, educational, and general use is encouraged.

A complete, synonymic checklist of the Orchids of the World

Covering 30,616 accepted species,

1,496 hybrids, 1,874 accepted infraspecific taxa and 60,536 synonyms, in total 94,522 names

With complete, detailed distribution data (countries and regions) and literature references

Arranged in linear phylogenetic sequence reflecting true relationships

Fully searchable and continously updated

With pictures of 5,164 taxa

Assembled through 40 years independently from other databases

In cooperation with Catalogue of Life

Dr. Michael Hassler Germany

Hassler, Michael (1994 - 2025): World Orchids. Synonymic Checklist and Distribution of the Orchids of the World. Version 25.08, last update August 18th, 2025.

Contribute to Science

Every observation can contribute to biodiversity science, from the rarest butterfly to the most common backyard weed. We share your findings with scientific data repositories like the Global Biodiversity Information Facility to help scientists find and use your data. All you have to do is observe.

We’ve built a one-hectare garden over the past 30 years, and it continues to grow and improve every season. It includes many native tree and plant species that help expand the natural reach of the surrounding forest.

Thanks to our unique climate, we’re able to grow many temperate-climate plants that absolutely thrive here — growing year-round without the stress of harsh winters. That’s why this place is often called “The Garden of Eternal Spring.”

The gardens also feature a remarkable variety of orchids growing on small trees, much like they do in the wild, surrounded by their natural neighbors: Monsteras, Anthuriums, Columneas, Bromeliads, and more. This gives visitors a unique chance to experience what happens in the treetops — without ever having to climb.

Other highlights include our Dracula orchid gardens, which are shaded and full of Heliconias, Anthuriums, and exotic ferns, as well as our beautiful water gardens with their “Poor Man’s Umbrellas” and the incredible variety of birds that regularly visit.

There are just under 500 species of which 45 are endemic (only occur in South Africa). Very little research has been carried out regarding ecology, conservation and propagation although a number of species have become extinct and habitat destruction is progressing at an alarming rate. Up until now there has been no attempt to address these issues on a National scale and Provincial legislation and cooperation is fragmented. Only through a focused National integrated effort that engages the public and all roll players will survival of orchids be assured.

The Ángel Andreetta Foundation preserves the extraordinary legacy of the missionary priest who gives it its name: one of the most complete collections of native orchids in the Tropical Andes. This natural heritage not only represents our history but also constitutes the basis of our commitment to the protection, cultivation, and sustainable marketing of Ecuadorian ornamental species.

Our work focuses on developing sustainable management models for Ecuador's natural resources, using orchids as umbrella species for the comprehensive conservation of ecosystems. Through scientific research and species preservation, we actively contribute to the protection of Andean biodiversity.

We bring this natural wealth to the world through unique scientific and educational tourism experiences. Our specialized tours through Ecuador's diverse ecosystems not only reveal the extraordinary beauty of one of the most biodiverse countries on the planet, but also inspire visitors and enthusiasts to become active stewards of our natural heritage.