Orchids have never featured to any great extent as garden plants in the British Isles despite the undoubted popularity of the tropical species in glasshouses, yet more than 50 species are native to these islands and can be supposed to be hardy to our climate.
This new monograph aims to bring together, for the first time, all the relevant information on the genus cymbidium of the orchid family. The introductory chapters cover the structure and anatomy of the species, their chromosome numbers, pollination and fragrances, distribution, biogeography and evolution and their ethnobotanical uses. The history of cymbidium in cultivation is covered and a chapter on the history of hybridization in the genus has been specially written by Ernest Hetherington and Andy Easton, two authorities on the development of horticultural cymbidiums. The main part of the text comprises a taxonomic account of all known species in the genus. The authors recognize 44 species and have used modern biological techniques as well as classical methods to arrive at their decisions. Drs du Puy and Cribb are the authors of several books and papers on orchids. This work, prepared at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, is the result of five years of research and many hours of field