As is the case with many other rare and sought-after species of plant and animal, Madagascar is one of the world’s prime locations for orchids, which make up the largest family of flowering plants on the island. Madagascar is home to nearly one thousand different species of orchids—which make up nearly ten percent of the island’s flora—nearly nine hundred of them endemic. Orchids are found in almost every habitat on the island, from the mountains to the coasts, and this field guide—the first of its kind, fully illustrated with color photographs and packed with details to aid identification—is an invaluable tool for researchers and ecotourists visiting the island.

Phillip Cribb is the former curator of the orchid herbarium at Kew and a leading specialist on the taxonomy and conservation of orchids. Johan Hermans is an honorary research associate at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.