Bookshelf
There are a large variety of different orchid books to choose from. Start with a general book which covers most of the orchid families and then progresses to more specific topics.
Below just a few suggestions.
Reminder : South Africa is in the Southern hemisphere – check for which country/ hemisphere the book was written, remember where you are living (!) and don’t get confused with the months. (If you are living in the southern hemisphere, add six months if the book was written for the Northern growers. If written in Australia, New Zealand etc. the months/seasons stay the same).If they mention seasons and not monthds, then you have no problem, it stays the same.
There have been a lot of name changing in the species – check for a synonym if you cannot find a specific orchid. There are almost 30 000 species in nature and you will never find a book which covers them all.
RECOMMENDED BOOKS:
A brands new Field Guid to the Orchid Species of Southern Africa:

have just released a new book, entitled Orchids of South Africa – A Field Guide.
The book is the first complete field guide to local orchids to be published in over 30 years, and covers the nearly 500 orchid species found in the region, including Lesotho and Swaziland.
Author: Steve Johnson; Benny Bytebier; Herbert Starker
Title:Orchids of South Africa
ISBN: 9781775841395
Softcover
See more at:http://www.randomstruik.co.za/books/orchids-of-south-africa/5699#sthash.zU1Kz6ed.dpuf
Field Guide to the Orchids of Northern South Africa and Swaziland.
This book is an easy-to-use field guide for the species enthusiast who loves to go searching for our wonderful indigenous orchids in situ.
Contact Umdaus Press on 011-675-1477, or via email umdaus@succulents.net
It is designed to be an easy to use field guide with
- More the 1300 color photographs
- Distribution maps based on altitude
- Life-size image of each species Flowering times
- The aim of the book is to ease identification for professionals and amateur enthusiasts alike.
Authors: Douglas McMurtry, Lourens Grobler, Jolisa Grobler and Shane Burns
ISBN number: 978-1-919766-46-1
Publishers: Umdaus Press
GROWING ORCHIDS IN SOUTH AFRICA – A Gardener’s Guide
ISBN: 1-875093-84-2 and 978-1-875093-84-7
(Briza Publications books@briza.co.za)
Hendrik Venter
At last a book written especially for South African conditions.
Available in Afrikaans and English
ANYONE CAN GROW ORCHIDS
Nollie Cilliers & Tinus Oberholzer
ISBN 97
8-1-9
20479-78-7
Publicat
ion date: September 2013
Available in Afrikaans: Enigeen kan orgideë kweek
ISBN 978-1-920479-79-4
BOTANICA’S POCKET ORCHIDS
ISBN-0-09-183820-1
It deals with over 1200 species with easy-to-understand text. Comprehensive information on propagation, growing, flowering and background.
Helmut Bechtel, Philip Cribb & Edmund Launert
THE MANUAL OF CULTIVATED ORCHID SPECIES
ISBN 1-874849-39-0
(Bok Books)
Gerald Leroy-Terquem & Jean Parisot
ORCHIDS CARE AND CULTIVATION
ISBN 1-874937-39-7
(Cassel Publishers Ltd)
Alec Pridgeon
A COMPENDIUM OF MINIATURE ORCHID SPECIES
For the lover all things small and special.
A Compendium of Miniature Orchid Species is a two volume, 1200 page work, that documents 500 different miniature orchid species across more than 120 genera. Each species entry includes nomenclatural and etymological information, as well as cultivation guidance and notes about habitat, conservation status and similarities to other orchids. The work includes over 1,800 full-colour, small and large format photographs that document each of the species covered.
WHAT ORCHID IS THAT ?
ISBN 1 86302 194 9
(Weldon Publishing, Sydney)
Rebecca T Northern
HOME ORCHID GROWING
ISBN 0-442-06064-5
(D von Nostrand Co)
Peter McKenzie Black
THE WARD LOCK BOOK OF ORCHID GROWING
ISBN 0-7063-7019-8
(Ward Lock Limited)
Brian and Wilma Ritterhausen
ORCHIDS AS HOUSEPLANTS
ISBN 0-7063-6815-0
(Resopal)
Wilma and Brian Ritterhausen
GARDENER’S GUIDE TO GROWING ORCHIDS (Southwater)
HP Linder & H Kurzwell
ORCHIDS OF SOUTERN AFRICA
ISBN 90 5410 445 7
(AA Balkem)
Mike Tibbs and Ray Bilton
ORCHIDS – An illustrated identifier and guide to cultivation
ISBN 1-85926-089-6
(Leefung-Asco Printers Ltd)
J.N. Rentoul
EXPANDING YOUR ORCHID COLLECTION
ISBN 0 85091 364 0
(Lothian Publishing Company Pty Ltd)
Joyce Stewart
ORCHIDS OF KENYA
ISBN (UK) 1 873040 28 8
(Timber Press INc.)
FROM THE SAOC (SOUTH AFRICAN ORCHID COUNCIL) :
The following books can be ordered from www.saoc.co.za or mikeandtessa@mweb.co.za
• Anyone can grow Orchids – Nollie Cilliers & Tinus Oberholzer – R195
• Enigeen kan Orgideë kweek – Tinus Oberholzer & Nollie Cilliers –R195
• Orchids of Kenya – Joyce Stewart & Bob Campbell – R150.00
• Orchids in South Africa, A Gardener’s Guide – Hendrik Venter – R270
• Aerangis – Excuisite African Orchids to discover, identify and grow, Isobyl la Croix – R650
Please note – these prices exclude postage charges.
For a very comprehensive list of orchid hybrids and species, visit the Royal Horticultural Society which deals with registrations and names at:
http://www.rhs.org.uk/research/registration_orchids.asp