The Incredible Edible Orchid

With over 28,000 species growing around the world, the family Orchidaceae is the 2nd largest family of flowering plants. Orchids are perennial - meaning they live for multiple years. The tallest variety, the Indonesian Giant Orchid, can reach up to 25 feet in height. The smallest measures only 2 millimieters. This minute variety was only recently discovered in 2009, in the forested Mountains of Ecuador by scientist Lou Jost. Though fossil evidence shows that orchids have existed on Earth for at least 15 million years, and genetic evidence suggests they may have been around for as many as 100 million years, we still have much to discover about the seemingly endless varieties of this plant. Not only are these fascinating monocots ancient and innumerable, they are all also edible to some degree. Cultures on nearly every continent have used this versatile herb for both culinary and medical purposes for thousands of years.