Orchidaceae, commonly called the Orchid family, is a morphologically diverse and widespread family of monocots. It is currently believed to be the second largest family of flowering plants (only the Asteraceae is larger), with between 21,950 and 26,049 currently received species, found in 880 genera. The amount of orchid species equals more than twice the number of bird species, and about four times the number of mammal species. It also surpasses about 6 to 11% of all seed plants.

The family also includes Vanilla (the genus of the vanilla plant), Orchis (type genus) and many commonly cultivated plants like some Phalaenopsis or Cattleya. Additionally, since the introduction of tropical species in the 19th century, horticulturists have made more than 100,000 hybrids and cultivars.