Orchids are plants known for flowers of exquisite beauty.  They may be either epiphytic or terrestrial and are found mostly in the  cool, humid tropical or temperate forests of the world. 

  The Western Ghats & the Himalayas of the North-Eastern  India are biodiversity hotspots & a treasure house of orchids although they are found throughout the country.  They belong to the family Orchidaceae of monocots.  Owing to the great commercial value of their flowers, a number of biotechnological companies have been carrying out cultivation and breeding of orchids. 

 A number of hybrid varieties have also been generated.  Orchids find application in medicine also.  Due to habitat destruction ascribed to varying reasons, orchids are threatened.  Conservation efforts  including their germ plasm preservation & tissue culture are going on.

OrchidDB is a database of Indian orchids.  Because of tremendous economic importance, aesthetic value and medicinal importance of orchids, this project has been taken up. It would also be of help in addressing conservation issues.

It is useful to the researchers, conservationists & enterpreneurs working on orchids.Apart from morphological, taxonomic &  phytogeographic data, OrchidDB will contain data on the economic importance, conservation status, hybrid varieties, conditions for orchid culture, etc.