Rediscovering and conserving orchids in a tropical city-state

The conservation status of orchids in the city-state of Singapore mirrors the worldwide decline of this group of plants, one of the largest families of flowering plants. Despite this, the number of extant native orchids has been revised from 45 to 76 in the last 15 years largely due to taxonomic revisions and (re-)discoveries. Building on the history of orchid taxonomic research in the Singapore Botanic Gardens and the revival of plant systematics in Singapore, these recent successes reflect efforts in establishing resident taxonomists and field ecologists, embracing integrative taxonomy, undertaking comprehensive botanical surveys, and developing an opportunistic instinct to discover orchids in the field. Coupled with ongoing species recovery efforts, this provides a sense of optimism for conservation and suggests that small habitat fragments characteristic of cities could continue to be refugia for native orchids. This also further illustrates the important role that botanic gardens play in the conservation of endangered plant species.