Résumé
The current Red List assessment of Mediterranean plants aims to assess all endemic and near-endemic monocotyledon taxa of the Mediterranean Basin Hotspot, in order to identify those that are threatened with extinction. Currently, more than 600 species or subspecies have been assessed (including more than 150 orchids), while hundreds of synonyms were considered! Several difficulties were encountered and confronted, including problems of nomenclature, taxonomy, chorology, biology, ecology and field data. The choice of a taxonomic reference was strongly debated. We avoided this unsolvable question by adopting a fluctuant taxonomy adapted both to our field knowledge and the conservation issues. In particular, for the genus Ophrys we dealt with uncertainties about delimitation of taxa and their consequences, we proposed solutions and examined the consequences for conservation strategies. Data heterogeneity or deficiency (lack of quantitative data, lack of historical data, lack of global knowledge and lack of biological data) frequently made it difficult to apply the IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria. Some specific questions arose about functional biology and the resilience capacities of Orchids (e.g. severe fragmentation, overgrazing, forest fires and climatic change). We also collected feedback from other species of Dicots and perspectives for assessment of the whole vascular flora in the future.