Understanding diversity patterns and the effect of global change on abundance, distribution patterns and species survival are of the most discussed topics in biodiversity research. Species are disappearing worldwide, mostly due to habitat loss, but other factors like climate change are likely to increase in importance during the 21st century. Thus, one of the most worrying issues is that we still do not know the optimal abiotic and biotic requirements for population persistence of many of the still existing species, which makes it very difficult, if not impossible, to make appropriate recommendations for their conservation in terms of proposing an effective management of their sites. Analysis of these requirements is, however, strongly dependent on the taxonomic group considered and on life history strategies of the species that comprise the group. In this Research Topic, we concentrate on this issue applied to orchids, one of the most abundant groups of flowering plants with approximately 30,000 species. They are classified among the most threatened groups worldwide. Of the approximately 1000 species that have been evaluated, almost 60% are threatened, endangered or extinct. For a few orchid species, detailed records from monitoring efforts provide opportunities for comparative analyses of species declines through time. However, for most orchid species we still lack population data and there have been few studies that have focused on the environmental factors and species traits associated with the decline of orchid sites and species numbers.

Perching on tropical trees, partnering with fungi to reproduce, or deceiving birds and amorous insects to promote pollination, orchids fascinate. In the exquisitely illustrated Extraordinary Orchids, award-winning botanist and writer Sandra Knapp tells the stories behind some of the bizarre lifestyles and interactions that scientists have uncovered among many species of the orchid family. Orchids deserve such a visual celebration: parts of the orchid flower have shapes unlike any other flowering plant, and the sheer number of species means they have a seemingly endless ability to create ever more fantastical forms. In fact, many orchid common names refer to the shape-shifting forms of their flowers—the “man-orchids” or “monkey-orchids” are so called because of their resemblance to the primate form. Orchids lend themselves to depiction, and botanical artworks of them abound. Who could resist painting or drawing such odd shapes? Illustrated with stunning artwork, much from the archives of the Natural History Museum in London and never before published, Extraordinary Orchids includes depictions from celebrated botanical artists such as Ferdinand and Franz Bauer, Arthur Harry Church, and Sydney Parkinson, revealing the weird and wonderful lives of this most diverse of plant families.

Did you know that Vanilla was formerly served as aphrodisiac by Cassanova and Madam Pompadour, and Elizabeth I loved its flavor? This is the first book that provides a complete worldwide coverage of orchids being employed as aphrodisiacs, medicine or charms and food. Opening with an in-depth historical account of orchids (orchis Greek testicle), the author describes how the Theory of Signatures influenced ancient herbalists to regard terrestrial orchid tubers as aphrodisiacs. Doctors and apothecaries promoted it during the Renaissance. Usage of orchids in Traditional Chinese Medicine, Indian Ayurvedic Medicine; by Tibetan yogins and Amchi healers for longevity pills, tonics and aphrodisiacs; by Africans to prepare 'health promoting' chikanda or as survival food when lost in the Australian bush are some highlights of the book. Early settlers in America and the East Indies often relied on native remedies and employment of orchids for such needs is described. Also covered are the search for medicinal compounds by scientists, attempts to prove the orchid's efficacy by experiment and the worry of conservationists.