Review

This revision of all the orchid species so far recorded from the Solomon Islands and Bougainville (285 species belonging to 87 genera) has a similar layout as the previously published ‘Orchids of Vanuatu’ by the same authors. A short introduction is given to the topography, geology, vegetation, as well as the history of the botanical exploration of the area covered. The account of the species itself is written in a ‘standard’ Flora-style: a key to the genera, keys to the species of each genus, synonyms to the accepted species names, descriptions of the species, etcetera. Numerous full-page line drawings clearly depict diagnostically important parts of about half of the species, sixteen colour plates of high quality give an impression of their beauty. The identification of the orchids of the satellite achipelagos of New Guinea is riddled with problems. The work of Schlechter and J.J. Smith on the 2000 or so orchid species occurring in New Guinea itself is heavily outdated now. The species are often based on a single, or very few specimens, too few to gain an insight in the variability that many species appear to display. Besides, a proper interpretation of these species is difficult in many cases, because numerous type specimens did not survive the world war II. To discourage orchid taxonomists further, a number of species show morphological clines towards the satellite islands around New Guinea, making the identification of material from these satellites still more difficult. The easiest way out of this quagmire is to describe all taxa as new species which cannot be identified unambiguously. However, in the long ran this does not solve anything.