Language: English
This orchid genus or clade is monophyletic. The sister-genus or -clade is not yet known. The genus Ophrys shows trichotomy (i.e. three groups emerging from a common ancestor) according to all used techniques, including molecular genetics, karyology, cytogenetics, and morphology. The three subclasses are assigned to the taxonomic level of a subgenus, designated by the letters A, B and C according to Breitkopf et al. (2025). The three subgenera can be clearly distinguished in de field.
This is a companion book to the author's book published in 2021 in German. It is not a direct translation, but a very different book due to the many changes in many sections of orchidology. The data on the individual species are no longer given in the English edition; reference is made to the German edition, to country-specific literature and to www.ophrys.online instead.