45 Types of Orchids With Pictures and Names

Numerous types of orchids grow naturally in just about every climate. So, whether you’re looking for an orchid to adorn your office or a species to try growing in your outdoor garden, you’ll find thousands to choose from. To help with your search, we’ve rounded up some of the most alluring orchid varieties with pictures to admire. In addition, we’ve included suitable growing conditions and a few essential care tips for each so you can find the perfect orchid plants for your unique living space.

1) Miltonia Orchids (Miltonia)

Miltonia orchids are often called pansy orchids – except among the most experienced orchid enthusiasts. However, the term pansy orchid actually refers to Miltoniopsis orchids that closely resemble pansies. Although they don’t look like pansies, Miltonia orchids have large, attractive flowers that are worth the effort if you can coax yours to bloom.

Native To:	Brazil, east Paraguay, and northeast Argentina
Houseplant or Garden:	Houseplant
General Care:	Moderately difficult to grow
Light Preferences:	Bright, filtered sunlight
Flowering Season:	Spring and/or fall for about 5 weeks

2) Venus Slipper (Paphiopedilum)

The Paphiopedilum genus of orchids contains about 80 species and numerous hybrids of orchids that are commonly called venus slippers. Venus slipper orchids bloom with a single white flower that features attractive purple and/or green markings on its petals. These flowers are exceedingly difficult to propagate without seeds, which makes every Venus slipper unique.

Native To:	India, Southeast Asia, New Guinea, the Bismarck Islands, and the Solomon Islands
Houseplant or Garden:	Houseplant
General Care:	Low-maintenance
Light Preferences:	Medium/partial sunlight
Flowering Season:	Winter or spring for about eight weeks

3) Tiger Orchid (Grammatophyllum speciosum)

The tiger orchid is stunningly beautiful, with blossoms featuring an array of yellowish-orange petals dappled in tiger-like spots and stripes of brown. This species is also sometimes called the giant orchid because of its size. A tiger orchid measured in at a towering 25 feet holds the Guinness Book of World Records title for the world’s tallest orchid.

Native To:	Indonesia
Houseplant or Garden:	Houseplant
General Care:	Difficult to grow
Light Preferences:	Bright, filtered sunlight
Flowering Season:	Fall to summer for four weeks every 2 to 4 years

4) The Black-Lipped Orchid (Coelogyne pandurata)

The Coelogyne pandurata is commonly called the black-lipped orchid because its flowers have ghostly greenish-white petals with a striking black-striped center. These large beauties bloom with up to 15 flowers per raceme. At several inches in diameter, each blossom lasts about a week. Plus, these gorgeous orchids smell strongly of honey.

Native To:	Philippines, Malaysia, Sumatra, and Borneo
Houseplant or Garden:	Houseplant
General Care:	Easy to grow
Light Preferences:	Low to medium light
Flowering Season:	Late spring and summer for up to 3 months

5) Vanilla Orchids (Vanilla)

The 110 species of orchids from the Vanilla genus are pretty attractive with their alluring, creamy-white, tubular blossoms. However, these plants are most widely prized for their use in vanilla flavoring, fragrance, and aromatherapy. The most popular species is the Vanilla planifolia, the seed pods used to produce the popular commercial vanilla flavoring that everyone uses in baking.

Native To:	Tropical and subtropical regions around the world
Houseplant or Garden:	Houseplant
General Care:	Easy to grow, but needs natural conditions to produce seed pods
Light Preferences:	Medium-light to partial shade
Flowering Season:	Mid-spring to late summer for one day

6) Monkey Orchid (Dracula simia)

These are just about the cutest flowers you will ever see. How the petals, lip, and column are arranged on these blossoms strongly resembles miniature monkeys – hence the common name “monkey orchid.” These orchid flowers come complete with smiling monkey faces, furry-looking scruff, skinny arms, and tails in the perfect shades of brown and creamy white. If the adorable look of these flowers isn’t enough to allure you, they also smell of fragrant oranges.

Native To:	South America
Houseplant or Garden:	Houseplant or outdoors in zones 9 to 11
Monkey Orchid Care:	Moderately difficult to grow
Light Preferences:	Shade
Flowering Season:	Blooms throughout the year

7) Cat’s Tail Orchids (Aerides)

The genus of orchids, Aerides, gets its name from the Greek for “child of the air.” It’s an epiphytic orchid, meaning its root system acts more like an anchor than a source of nutrients and moisture. These orchids are gorgeous, with tall racemes that burst with brightly colored flowers in shades of pink, purple, yellow, and white.

Native To:	Tropical Asia
Houseplant or Garden:	Houseplant
General Care:	Easy to grow in the right conditions
Light Preferences:	Bright, filtered light
Flowering Season:	Summer with long-lasting blossoms

8) Jewel Orchid (Ludisia)

The Ludisia genus of orchis was long thought to contain just one species, Ludisia discolor. However, in 2013, a second species, the Ludisia ravanii from the Philippines, was also added. Jewel orchids have beautiful foliage with ovate leaves in either deep green or a velvety red that are finely marked with yellow or light-green pinstripes. They produce delicate racemes of white flowers.

Native To:	Southeast Asia
Houseplant or Garden:	Houseplant
Jewel Orchid Care:	Low-maintenance
Light Preferences:	Medium light to shade
Flowering Season:	Winter to spring

9) Lady’s Slipper Orchids (Cypripedium calceolus)

The Cypripedium calceolus gets its common name, “lady’s slipper,” from its blossoms’ striking resemblance to tiny, yellow slippers surrounded by spindly reddish-black petals. These orchids grow across Europe and Asia in woodlands, and they are a protected species in Europe. In Russian folklore, lady’s slippers are said to drive away evil spirits.

Native To:	Europe and Asia
Houseplant or Garden:	Garden in growing zones 2 to 6
General Care:	Easy to grow
Light Preferences:	Bright to medium sunlight
Flowering Season:	Spring and summer for two months

10) Epidendrum Orchids (Epidendrum)

About Epidendrum Orchids: 

This genus of orchids contains about 1,500 species. Most of these have clusters of small to medium-sized brightly colored flowers in fiery hues. With three-lobed blossoms that resemble little crosses, epidendrum orchids are sometimes commonly referred to as crucifix orchids. These orchids are more easily grown indoors, but they can grow in the United States gardens with just the right temperature and humidity range.

Native To:	American tropics and subtropics from Argentina to North Carolina
Houseplant or Garden:	Grow indoors or outdoors in zone 10 or 11
General Care:	Low-maintenance and easy-to-grow
Light Preferences:	Full sun to partial shade, depending on the species
Flowering Season:	Throughout the year, but most commonly in spring and summer

11) Philippine Ground Orchid (Spathoglottis plicata)

The Philippine ground orchid is an evergreen terrestrial orchid, which means, as its common name suggests, that it grows in the ground, drawing nutrients and moisture up through its roots. It features clusters of delicate flowers in shades of vibrant violet, pale mauve, and the rarest snowy white.

Native To:	Tropical and subtropical Asia, Australia, and the western Pacific
Houseplant or Garden:	Houseplant or garden in zone 10
General Care:	Low-maintenance
Light Preferences:	Bright, indirect sunlight
Flowering Season:	Earl spring to late fall

12) Vanda Orchids (Vanda)

About 80 species of orchids make up the Vanda genus, and they are all popular and easy to purchase from garden centers everywhere. Vanda orchid flowers blossom several times throughout the year. They are showy, long-lasting, and fragrant, and feature a variety of vibrant hues and color combinations that make them a joy to grow inside and out in the right conditions.

Native To:	East and Southeast Asia, New Guinea, Queensland, and some western Pacific islands
Houseplant or Garden:	Houseplant or garden in zones 10 and 11
General Care:	Easy to grow
Light Preferences:	Bright, indirect sunlight
Flowering Season:	Throughout the year

13) Fox Tail Orchid (Rhynchostylis gigantea)

The Rhynchostylis gigantea is a species of orchid that features a long inflorescence of blossoms that reaches about 15 inches in length, and when in full bloom, it can resemble a fluffy fox tail. Due to this orchid’s wide distribution around the Asia continent, its flowers come in a range of colors and patterns. They can be solid magenta, red, or even spotted with white.

Native To:	India and Southeast Asia
Houseplant or Garden:	Houseplant
General Care:	Easy to grow
Light Preferences:	Bright, filtered sunlight
Flowering Season:	Winter for two weeks

14) Marsh Orchid (Dactylorhiza)

The genus Dactylorhiza contains about 30 terrestrial orchids, commonly called marsh orchids. These orchids hybridize easily, so the actual number of cultivars is numerous and not known. Marsh orchids tend to grow in cooler regions in damp, forested areas. They feature pink, white, and purple cones of flowers with beautiful markings and attractive color combinations.

Native To:	Eurasia, North Africa, Alaska, and some Pacific islands
Houseplant or Garden:	Garden in growing zones 5 to 8
General Care:	Easy to grow
Light Preferences:	Bright, filtered light to partial shade
Flowering Season:	Spring and summer

15) Nun’s Hood Orchid (Phaius tankervilleae)

Sometimes called the swamp lily, swamp orchid, veiled orchid, or nun’s hood orchid, the Phaius tankervilleae gets its scientific name from Lady Tankerville, who was a British heiress who owned the greenhouse in which the first tropical orchid (and the first nun’s hood) bloomed in England.

Native To:	Asia and some Pacific islands
Houseplant or Garden:	Indoors or outdoors in zones 9 and 11
General Care:	Easy to grow
Light Preferences:	Bright, indirect sunlight
Flowering Season:	Late winter and early spring for 4 to 6 weeks

16) Mokara Orchids (X Mokara spp.)

Mokara orchids cannot grow natively anywhere in the wild because mokaras are strictly hybrids cultivated by the human botanist’s hand. However, the species commonly crossed to produce mokara orchids are mainly native to Asia and include the cymbidium, cattleya, paphiopedilum, and the oncidium orchid. They feature large clusters of starfish-shaped blossoms in vibrant colors like red, orange, purple, pink, yellow, and white.

Native To:	Do not occur naturally
Houseplant or Garden:	Houseplant
General Care:	Low-maintenance
Light Preferences:	Full sun
Flowering Season:	Throughout the year, for about two weeks

17) Coelogyne Orchids (Coelogyne)

These orchids bloom with delicately draping clusters of almost lacy-looking flowers; some of the roughly 200 species are called necklace flowers. They sometimes bloom with flowers in a pure shade of snowy white with bright yellow centers, salmon pink, chocolate brown, or even emerald green. Sweetly fragrant, these orchids make a perfect addition to a greenhouse or indoor display.

Native To:	India, China, Indonesia, and Fiji
Houseplant or Garden:	Houseplant
General Care:	Easy to grow
Light Preferences:	Medium to low light
Flowering Season:	Spring for up to 3 months

18) Odontoglossum Orchids (Odontoglossum)

Odontoglossum is a genus of about 100 species of orchids native to the cooler mountainous regions of the American tropics, such as the Andes Mountains. These orchids’ flowers bloom in strange and exotic-looking shapes, colors, and combinations of colors with unique patterns adorning their ruffled petals.

Native To:	High-altitude regions of the American Tropics
Houseplant or Garden:	Houseplant
General Care:	Moderately difficult
Light Preferences:	Bright, filtered sunlight
Flowering Season:	Varies from species to species

19) Dove Orchid (Peristeria elata)

Peristeria elata is an elegant species of orchid that produces a central cone-shaped raceme of flowers. This orchid is commonly referred to as the dove orchid because at the center of an alabaster circle of petals rests a single petal distinctly shaped like a dove. With the association of the Holy Spirit with doves in Christianity, this orchid is also commonly called the flower of the Holy Spirit or the Holy Ghost orchid.

Native To:	Central America
Houseplant or Garden:	Houseplant
General Care:	Low-maintenance but can be challenging to flower
Light Preferences:	Bright, indirect light for mature plants and medium to low light for young plants
Flowering Season:	Summer through fall for 3 to 7 days

20) Zygopetalum Orchids (Zygopetalum)

Zygopetalum is a small genus containing just 14 officially recognized species of orchids. Like many orchids, the species of this genus have exotic-looking, unusually shaped flowers in various exciting colors and speckled or striped patterns. They’re fairly easy to grow in suitable climates and are a trendy choice for growing in outdoor gardens along the coastline of Southern California.

Native To:	South America
Houseplant or Garden:	Houseplant or growing zones 9 to 10
General Care:	Easy to grow
Light Preferences:	Medium light
Flowering Season:	Year-round 2 to 4 times per year for up to a month

21) Epidendroideae Orchids (Epidendroideae)

Epidendroideae is a subfamily in the Orchidaceae (Orchid) family of plants. Containing more than 15,000 species of orchids, Epidendroideae is the largest subfamily of orchids. Although the subfamily contains some terrestrial orchids, most of the species of this family are tropical epiphytes. While most members of this family are endemic to tropical and subtropical regions where they grow on trees in humid climates, species of the Orchidaceae family can grow natively in various climates worldwide.

Native To:	Worldwide
Houseplant or Garden:	Houseplants and garden plants
General Care:	Generally easy to grow, though some species are more challenging than others
Light Preferences:	Varies based on the species
Flowering Season:	Varies based on the species

22) Tolumnia (Equitant oncidium)

These petite orchids do not usually reach more than 6 or 8 inches in height, and a 4-inch potting vessel will usually accommodate one for life. Tolumnia orchids produce 12 to 15-inch tall inflorescences with exotic flowers. This orchid species’ scientific name, “equitant,” is Latin for “riding a horse,” it refers to how the plant’s dual leaves grow one on top of another, seeming to straddle the lower leaves as if riding a horse.

Native To:	Caribbean Basin
Houseplant or Garden:	Houseplant
General Care:	Easy to grow
Light Preferences:	Bright, filtered sunlight
Flowering Season:	Blooms in spring

23) Purple Orchids (Spathoglottis)

The Spathoglottis genus contains about 50 herbaceous, evergreen orchids. They’re often referred to as garden orchids or even purple orchids. Spathoglottis orchids bloom with pink, white, and yellow flowers in addition to purple. All purple orchid species are terrestrial, meaning they grow in the ground instead of on trees like their epiphytic cousins. As a result, you’ll often see these beauties sprouting up along the roads in tropical locales.

Native To:	India, East Asia, Australia, and some Pacific Islands
Houseplant or Garden:	Houseplant or tropical gardens
General Care:	Easy to grow and great for beginners
Light Preferences:	Full sun to light shade
Flowering Season:	Blooms from spring through fall

24) Catasetum Orchids (Catasetum)

166 species of epiphytic orchids comprise the Catasetum genus. These exceptional orchid plants are unisex, producing either showy and colorful male or less impressive, greenish-white female flowers. The sex of flowers produced depends on the conditions in which the plant matures. Sometimes, a plant living in moderate conditions will produce both male and female flowers. This unique trait of Catasetum orchids resulted in many being classified as entirely different plants until Charles Darwin resolved the issue in his studies.

Native To:	Central America, South America, and the West Indies
Houseplant or Garden:	Houseplant
General Care:	Easy to grow
Light Preferences:	Bright, filtered sunlight
Flowering Season:	Bloom 2 to 4 times from spring through early fall

25) Spider Orchid (Brassia)

Plants from the Brassia orchids genus are called spider orchids because their petals are lined with long, spindly tepals that often give the flowers a spidery look. These orchids primarily grow in warm rainforests with high humidity from Mexico to Brazil. However, one spider orchid species grows natively as far north as Florida. Also, only spider-hunter wasps can pollinate spider orchids, so don’t try to pollinate them yourself.

Native To:	Central America, South America, the West Indies, and Florida
Houseplant or Garden:	Houseplant
General Care:	Moderately difficult
Light Preferences:	Partial shade
Flowering Season:	Spring, summer, or winter, depending on the species.

26) Laelia Orchids (Laelia)

Just 25 species of orchids make up the Laelia genus. Laelia orchids bloom with star-shaped flowers in monochrome palettes of attractive hues like cream, violet, purple, peach, pink, and salmon. Each blossoming raceme will bear up to eight flowers.

Native To:	Mexico, Central America, and South America
Houseplant or Garden:	Houseplant
General Care:	Easy to grow
Light Preferences:	Medium to bright, filtered sunlight
Flowering Season:	Spring to fall for about eight weeks

27) Fox Tail Orchid (Rhynchostylis retusa)

When in bloom, this orchid species is instantly recognizable for its pendant-style racemes that hold abundant garlands of up to 100 pink-spotted white flowers each. In Assam, this fox tail orchid is worn by Bihu dancers at the onset of spring. Additionally, in this culture of Northern India, the Rhynchostylis retusa symbolizes fertility, love, and happiness.

Native To:	East and Southeast Asia
Houseplant or Garden:	Houseplant
General Care:	Easy to grow in the right conditions
Light Preferences:	Bright, indirect sunlight to partial shade
Flowering Season:	Late winter and early spring

28) Flame Orchids (Maxillaria)

This genus contains a variety of very morphologically interesting-looking orchid flowers. The genus name comes from the Latin word for jawbone because several species produce a flower resembling a strong jawline. However, other species are called tiger orchids, spider orchids, and flame orchids, referring to their unique looks.

Native To:	Rainforests at sea level in Latin America
Houseplant or Garden:	Houseplant
General Care:	Easy to grow
Light Preferences:	Bright, indirect sunlight
Flowering Season:	Late spring for several days

29) Bulbophyllum Orchids (Bulbophyllum)

With 2,000 species of orchids, Bulbophyllum is the largest genus in the orchid plant family, and it’s the second-largest genera of all flowering plants. While these plants can be found in various warm habitats worldwide, the center of their diversity rests in Papua New Guinea, where a staggering 600 species can be found growing natively.

Native To:	Most warmer climates around the world
Houseplant or Garden:	Houseplant
General Care:	Generally easy to grow
Light Preferences:	Bright, filtered sunlight to partial shade, depending on the species
Flowering Season:	Throughout the year for 1 to 6 weeks, depending on the species

30) Brassavola Orchids (Brassavola)

This genus of 21 orchids contains plants that flower with individual flowers or bunches of white or whitish-green, spade-shaped blossoms that seem to hang from the primary plant. These orchids emit a powerful fragrance at night, and their pleasantly citrusy aroma attracts a specialized moth pollinator.

Native To:	Mexico, Central America, South America, and the West Indies
Houseplant or Garden:	Houseplant
General Care:	Easy to grow
Light Preferences:	Bright, filtered sunlight with some short, direct light exposure
Flowering Season:	Throughout the year for 5 to 30 days, depending on the species

31) Upside-Down Orchids (Stanhopea)

These unusual orchids are well-known for the powerful fragrance of their blossoms and the unusual nature in which their flower racemes burst through their potting medium – rather than from the center of the plant’s foliage. This unusual flowering has led them to be referred to commonly as upside-down orchids. Stanhopea blossoms can be spectacularly complex and intricate but usually short-lived.

Native To:	Central and South America
Houseplant or Garden:	Greenhouse plant
General Care:	Difficult to grow
Light Preferences:	Bright, filtered sunlight
Flowering Season:	Summer for a few days

32) Ebine (Calanthe discolor)

The Calanthe discolor is a woodland orchid species most commonly found growing in Japan. Its common Japanese name, “ebine,” translates to shrimp root and describes the shape of the plant’s root system and pseudobulbs. There are two varieties of this species, each featuring charming flowers blooming in white to brownish mauve.

Native To:	Korea, Japan, and parts of China
Houseplant or Garden:	Garden in growing zones 6 to 9
General Care:	Easy to grow in the right conditions
Light Preferences:	Medium sun to partial shade
Flowering Season:	Spring with long-lasting flowers

33) Bamboo Orchid (Arundina graminifolia)

The bamboo orchid (Arundina gaminifolia) is the only species currently accepted as a member of the Arundina genus of orchids. These orchids have strong, reedy stems resembling bamboo and grow to be about 2 to 7 feet tall. Bamboo orchids bloom with up to 10 flowers per raceme. The showy, trumpet-shaped blossoms are a rosy white hue with a vibrant purple-colored inner lip.

Native To:	Tropical Asia
Houseplant or Garden:	Houseplant
General Care:	Easy to grow
Light Preferences:	Direct sun to bright, filtered sunlight
Flowering Season:	Throughout the year but more frequently in summer

34) Eggleaf Twayblade (Listera ovata)

This orchid grows wild in habitats across much of the moderately cooler climates of Europe and Asia. It can be found sprouting in meadows, moorlands, woods, and dune slacks. Unlike most of its cousins, the eggleaf twayblade keeps a relatively low profile with slender racemes and modest greenish-yellow blossoms that tend to blend into the surrounding scenery.

Native To:	Europe and Asia
Houseplant or Garden:	Gardens in growing zones 5 to 8
General Care:	Easy to grow
Light Preferences:	Medium sunlight or moderate shade
Flowering Season:	Spring and summer

35. White Egret Flower (Pecteilis radiata)

The Pecteilis radiata is perhaps one of the most elegantly beautiful orchids you can find. Its snowy white flowers spread out with two pinnate petals on either side of a central white body. The blossoms of these terrestrial orchids strongly resemble a snowy egret taking flight – hence the flower’s common name, white egret flower.

Native To:	Russia, Korea, China, and Japan
Houseplant or Garden:	Houseplant or garden in growing zones 5 through 10
General Care:	Easy to grow
Light Preferences:	Moderate sunlight to partial shade
Flowering Season:	Late summer for weeks

36) Christmas Orchids (Calanthe)

Calanthe is a genus of terrestrial orchids that grow into large, leafy clumps with prominent foliage. The broad, ovate leaves are sometimes ruffled, wrinkled, or corrugated, giving these deciduous or evergreen plants a lush appearance. They produce tall racemes of white, pink, orange, or yellow flowers.

Native To:	All tropical areas but most densely in Southeast Asia
Houseplant or Garden:	Garden growing zones 6 to 9
General Care:	Easy to grow
Light Preferences:	Part sun to light shade
Flowering Season:	Late winter through spring

37) Masdevallia Orchids (Masdevallia)

The Masdevallia genus contains about 350 orchids. They are best recognized for their uniquely alluring flowers, which feature long, skinny sepals that fuse into a larger tube-shaped flower structure. Additionally, their flowers feature brilliant colors and pretty markings to give them added appeal.

Native To:	Higher altitude regions from Mexico to Southern Brazil
Houseplant or Garden:	Houseplants or gardens in cool coastal climates
General Care:	Easy to grow in the right conditions
Light Preferences:	Bright, indirect sunlight
Flowering Season:	Spring or summer for two weeks

38) Cockleshell Orchids (Encyclia)

Encyclia is a genus of epiphytic orchids that are commonly called cockleshell orchids. Their pretty blossoms have petals that droop around the center, similar to an octopus’s tentacles. These orchids don’t produce strong fragrances, and birds and bees usually pollinate them.

Native To:	Mexico, Floria, and the Caribbean
Houseplant or Garden:	Houseplants or gardens in growing zones 9 to 11
General Care:	Easy to grow
Light Preferences:	Bright, filtered sunlight
Flowering Season:	Starting in spring for more than a month

39) Scorpion Orchids (Arachnis annamensis)

Commonly called scorpion orchids, flowers of the Arachnis annamensis have a menacing appearance with brownish-red and yellow-striped petals that resemble a scorpion’s legs, body, and stinger. These orchids are a climbing species that vines through the trees in tropical rainforests.

Native To:	Southeast Asia
Houseplant or Garden:	Houseplant
General Care:	Easy to grow
Light Preferences:	Bright, filtered sunlight
Flowering Season:	Late spring to early summer

40) Pleione Orchids (Pleione)

Named for the mother of the Pleiades (7 sisters) in Greek mythology, the Pleione genus contains about 20 species of primarily epiphytic orchids. Reaching only about 6 to 12 inches in diameter, these petite beauties have attractive bell-shaped or tubular flowers in delicate shades of pink, purple, and white. An elegant ring of petals surrounds each blossom’s central cup.

Native To:	Mountainous regions of South Asia
Houseplant or Garden:	Houseplants or gardens in growing zone 8
General Care:	Moderately difficult
Light Preferences:	Partial shade
Flowering Season:	Spring for 1 to 2 weeks

41) Broad-Leaved Marsh Orchid (Dactylorhiza majalis)

The Dactylorhiza majalis is a species of terrestrial orchid that springs up in marshy, nutrient-poor areas like wet meadows and heaths across Europe from Spain to Russia. When in bloom during June and July, these attractive orchids feature tall, cone-shaped racemes heavily laden with white, purple, or pink flowers.

Native To:	Europe
Houseplant or Garden:	Gardens in zones 5 to 8
General Care:	Easy to grow in warm, moist, and humid conditions
Light Preferences:	Full sun to partial shade
Flowering Season:	Summer

42) Lycaste Orchids (Lycaste)

The Lycaste genus contains about 30 species of orchids that produce thin, pleated foliage and several spikes of flowers. Lycaste orchids bloom with flowers with a unique, triangular silhouette comprising three petals and three sepals in yellow, white, orange, brown, or green. Some species of Lycaste orchids also have an unusual scent, smelling faintly of clove or cinnamon.

Native To:	Central America
Houseplant or Garden:	Houseplant
General Care:	Easy to grow in the right conditions
Light Preferences:	Medium-light to partial shade
Flowering Season:	Late spring through early summer

43) Ghost Orchids (Epipogium)

The final type of orchid on our list is one of the rarest growing in nature, and it’s truly ghostly. Epipogium is a genus of just four orchid species. They have no leaves or chlorophyll and must rely on fungi in the soil for nutrients (for more, see our essential guide to the best orchid plant soil considerations). Ghost orchids produce short-lived flowers with a drooping, ghost-shaped silhouette in a pale, almost translucent-looking shade of white.

Native To:	Europe, tropical Africa, temperature and tropical Asia, and some Pacific Islands
Houseplant or Garden:	Houseplant
General Care:	Difficult to grow
Light Preferences:	Partial shade
Flowering Season:	Flowers infrequently (once about every ten years) during the growing season

44) Phalaenopsis Orchids (Moth Orchids)

Phalaenopsis is a very popular genus of orchids comprising over 70 species of plants in the family Orchidaceae. These are prized for their long-lasting flowers, which, under appropriate growing conditions, can sometimes last the full year.

Native To:	India, Taiwan, China, Southeast Asia, New Guinea, and Australia.
Houseplant or Garden:	Houseplant
General Care:	Moth orchids prefer warm, ambient conditions and should be watered weekly during the flowering season (we recommend not watering orchids with ice cubes).
Light Preferences:	Thrives best in bright, well-lit rooms.
Flowering Season:	It can bloom year-round.

45) Cattleya Orchid

The genus of orchids was named in 1824 by John Lindley after horticulturist William Cattley. These beauties are loved for their exotic charm and boast over 50 varieties covering numerous color palettes.

Native To:	South America – Costa Rica south to Argentina.
Houseplant or Garden:	Houseplant
General Care:	Cattleya orchids prefer consistently mild to warm growing conditions ranging from around 70F to 85F. Allow soil to dry almost completely before re-watering.
Light Preferences:	Thrives best in plenty of bright, indirect light.
Flowering Season:	Typically spring through fall each year.

Orchids for Every Home and Every Garden

Orchid enthusiasts abound everywhere in the world. So, no matter where you live — unless you’re camped out on the side of a glacier — you’ll be able to find a variety of orchid species that will thrive inside your home or outside in your garden. What’s more, with a little care, orchids can live for many years to come and will happily rebloom throughout the growing season.