"Not everyone sets out to study orchids in the spirit of love. For botanist and writer Knapp, the approach was closer to disdain. She confesses to having been both 'fascinated and slightly repelled' by orchids, put off by this garishly dressed family--the second largest in the world with over 30,000 species. But the sweep, intelligence, and research on display in Extraordinary Orchids , a lavish, oversize volume, will surely push the reluctant closer to admiration. The profusion of paintings and drawings is impressive. Knapp is an eloquent scientist, and she writes beautifully about the interconnected communities orchids inhabit--along with mosses, lichens, other plants, insects, and arthropods. Her chapter on 'Life in the Air' should be read by every plant lover and science writer for a lesson on succinct clarity. Toward the end of her book, Knapp grudgingly admits that she now fancies orchids and, more important, is gravely concerned for their survival.

Climate change, pollution, the destruction of forests, the irrecoverable extinction of orchid species, and, finally, the orchid hunters of today, eager to cash in on an insatiable market for plants, some as coveted as Tiepolos, traded illegally, and some, artificially propagated, sold in grocery stores--all are wreaking havoc on this family of flowers. This should not become the final chapter in humankind's history with orchids. We can only hope--and act to protect those glorious seductresses.".