This data-set comprises validated species occurrence records of Orchids (Family Orchidaceae) of the African continent. It is a collection of data from citizen science contributions, herbarium records, literature records, personal notes and other unpublished sources. Records range from 1734 to present.

Orchids are a charismatic and diverse family of flowering plants. With over 470 species in South Africa alone and more than 3300 species throughout Africa and Madagascar, we have a rich orchid flora. However, in recent years the collection of traditional herbarium specimens has been declining and our understating of where orchids are found is becoming ever more outdated. OrchidMAP aims to reverse this trend with the help of orchid lovers. OrchidMAP is interested in distributions and flowering times of all orchids in Africa, Madagascar and the Western Indian Ocean Islands including naturalized or wild growing exotic species.

Identification of citizen science records, based on the photos uploaded, is done by a panel of experts in the relevant taxa. The taxonomy is kept up-to-date by the project coordinator.

All data, excepting records for sensitive taxa, are available to the public. Records are provided at the recorded precision, usually point coordinates. The coverage is moderate for South Africa, but very sparse for the rest of Africa.