Inventory of the Native Orchids of Trinidad and Tobago

Background

Trinidad has been a centre for botanical activity since the 18th century with many well known botanists either collecting specimens in Trinidad or using the island as a base for their visits to South America and to other Caribbean Islands. Plants collected were established here and sent on to horticultural establishments in England and other European countries.

In the 1950s the section of the flora of Trinidad and Tobago describing orchids was prepared by Richard Evans Schultes and subsequently published as  "Native Orchids of Trinidad and Tobago"  Pergamon Press 1960.

The Trinidad and Tobago Orchid Society was founded as the Trinidad Orchid Society in 1956 and included in the objectives of the society was "the conservation of native orchid species". Because the preparation of Native Orchids of Trinidad and Tobago was based on herbarium records, there has been much debate as to whether some of the species were actually found in these islands. Concern has also been expressed in recent times that some species have been lost from their natural habitat due to land development or indiscriminate collection.

In 1999 members of the Society received support from the Global Environment Facility Small Grants Programme to conduct an inventory of native orchid species as a complement to the National Biodiversity Programme. The species identified were listed and photographed. This list formed a Database of Trinidad and Tobago Native Orchid Species. Technology has changed considerably as well as access to international orchid taxonomic data on orchid species in the past 25 years.

An updated data base has been prepared using photographs of locally found orchid species. The photographers are members of the Society and interested persons who have agree to use of their photographs. Reference is made to published taxonomic identification and descriptions.