Orchidales
Orchidales is an order of flowering plants. In list of systems of [plant taxonomy|taxonomical systems], this is a relatively recent name as early systems used descriptive botanical names for the order containing the orchids. The Bentham & [Hooker system|Bentham & Hooker] and the Engler systems had the orchids in order Microspermae while the Wettstein system treats them as order Gynandrae. In taxonomical systems these two descriptive names have now mostly dropped out of use.
Circumscription of the order will vary with the taxonomic system being used. Although mostly the order will consist of the orchids only, sometimes other families are added:
Circumscription in the Takhtajan system
- order Orchidales
- : family ''Orchidaceae''
Circumscription in the Cronquist system
:- order Orchidales
- : family Geosiridaceae
- : family Burmanniaceae
- : family Corsiaceae
- : family ''Orchidaceae''
Circumscription in the Dahlgren system
- order Orchidales
- : family Neuwiediaceae
- : family Apostasiaceae
- : family Cypripediaceae
- : family ''Orchidaceae''
Circumscription in the Thorne system
- order Orchidales
- : family ''Orchidaceae''
Circumscription in the Wettstein system
- order Gynandrae
- : family ''Orchideae''