Methods of floral analysis in the Brazilian Orchidaceae

The present paper is an introduction to the floral analysis method used in the determination of Brazilian orchids. It consists of projecting the diaphanized floral structures, namely column, sepals and petals, by means of an optical device and tracing the outlines and internal structures. The resulting sketch is very constant for the species and can be used in a similar way to human dactyloscopy, to identify the species. The multiple uses of this method are discussed and conventions are proposed for the graphic representation.