Wild Orchids of Málaga

Wild Orchids of Málaga is an English guide to the wild orchids of the province of Málaga – which are often of great beauty and prolific but are increasingly threatened. Based on some 30 years of study, the first pages consist of an account of the province with motorised transport in mind – hence details of roads leading to the orchid-rich sites, many of which are by the roadside. It then includes information on orchid flower structure and on flowering times of each species. There then follow simple accounts and photographs of the entire plant, the flower head, and the individual flower of each species.

After schooling in Lancashire, the author studied for a medical degree at St John’s College, Cambridge, and in London at St Thomas’s Hospital Medical School, where he eventually became Professor of Microbiology. During that time Ian was able to see all the British orchids except the elusive Ghost. Retirement to Spain allowed him time to see all the Málaga orchids, on which he made detailed notes on where and when to find them and, on the basis of his photographs, how to identify them. This experience is the basis of this book.