Foreword. Part 1 Orchid biology: the orchid flower including pollination and sexual reproduction, seed germination, the seedling, the underground parts, flowering span. Part 2 Orchid ecology: environmental distribution including lowlands (grasslands, stony areas, woodlands, wetlands), highlands (grasslands, woodlands, wetlands). Part 3 Classification: orchid names - key to the orchid genera. Part 4 Species descriptions: cypripedium; epipactis; cephalanthera; limodorum; epipogium; neottia; listera; spiranthes; goodyera; habenaria; gennaria; herminium; neottianthe; plantanthera; chamorchis; gymnadenia; pseudorchis; nigritella; coeloglossum; dactylorhiza; steveniella; comperia; traunsteinera; neotinea; orchis; aceras; himantoglossum; barlia; anacamptis; serapias; ophrys; corallorrhiza; calypso; microstylis; liparis; hammarbya. Part 5 In search of orchids: Great Britain; Germany; Scandinavia; Holland; France; Switzerland; Austria; Spain; Portugal; Majorca; the Canary Islands and Madeira; Corsica; Sardinia; Sicily; Malta; Italy; Yugoslavia; Greece and its islands; Turkey; Cyprus; Syria and Lebanon; Israel. Part 6: Photographing wild orchids. Bibliography. Index.