Worldwide and mostly pantropical with many temperate extensions.
Orchids are, however, often epiphytic with conspicuous adventitious roots .
Like the Ericaceae, this family has a strong association with fungi, mycorrhizal root associations and fungal assistance with seedling development. The anther contents are also massed in this family to produce pollen 'packages' or pollinia for vector transfer. This diverse family produces the smallest angiosperms seeds, reduced to an undifferentiated embryo as a adaptation for wind dispersal to epiphytic safe sites.