Recent studies on evolutionary relationships between the species of Orchis s.l. and Dactylorhiza (Orchidaceae) using molecular techniques reveal that the systematic classification of these groups needs revising. The new classification involves changes in the circumscription of, for example, Aceras, Anacamptis, Coeloglossum, Dactylorhiza, and Orchis. The importance of the use of multiple independent lines of evidence in the evaluation of phylogenetic relationships is emphasised. For floras, the consequences of adopting classifications that are not (exclusively) based on morphological characters are discussed.