The Orchidaceae or Orchid family has over 25,000 species under 880 genera. The family along with the sunflower family & x28;Asteraceae& x29; forms the two largest flowering plant families currently identified. The number of species in the family is twice the amount of Bird species present, and almost four times that of Mammal species on Earth. The flowers of the orchid family are often colorful and fragrant. The family also includes the Vanilla plant.