104 colour plates, 2 distribution maps. Selenipedium, Phragmipedium, Criosanthes, Cypripedium and Paphiopedilum are all detailed. Each of the colour plates is accompanied by comprehensive text, detailing the species' distinguishing features, distribution in the wild, natural habitats and the history of their introduction into cultivation. More than 40 plates are devoted to hybrids, with information on the ways hybridisation has been effected, on chromosome counts and on the culture of plants. An introductory section provides an invaluable synthesis of information about the five genera and their hybrids, including nomenclature and registration of hybrids, cultivation and taxonomy, and geographical distribution.
