Orchids are a charismatic and diverse family of flowering plants. With over 470 species in South Africa alone and more than 3300 species throughout Africa and Madagascar, we have a rich orchid flora. However, in recent years the collection of traditional herbarium specimens has been declining and our understating of where orchids are found is becoming ever more outdated.

OrchidMAP aims to reverse this trend with the help of orchid lovers. By submitting photos of orchid along with details of where and when the photo was taken, you can help us to improve our understanding of the distribution of South African and African orchids.

OrchidMAP is interested in distributions and flowering times of all orchids in Africa, Madgascar and the Western Indian Ocean Islands including naturalised or wild growing exotic species.