''Acanthophippium'' is a
genus of
orchid with thirteen
species (family
Orchidaceae). The name of this genus is derived from the
Greek words ''acanthos'' ("spiny") and ''ephippion'' ("saddle"), referring to the saddle-like
labellum of the plants.
This
terrestrial and sometimes
myco-heterotrophic genus of
sympodial orchids is distributed from the
Indian subcontinent to
Taiwan,
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
,
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
,
Southeast Asia,
New Guinea and the southwest
Pacific.
The terrestrial species are up to 80 cm tall. They have short
rhizome
In botany and dendrology, a rhizome (; , ) is a modified subterranean plant stem that sends out roots and shoots from its nodes. Rhizomes are also called creeping rootstalks or just rootstalks. Rhizomes develop from axillary buds and grow hori ...
s. The oblong and fleshy
pseudobulbs are up to 25 cm tall. They produce at their apex 2 to 3 large
plicate
Plicata, ''plicate'', ''plicated'', ''pleated'' or ''folded'' in Latin, may refer to:
* Lingua plicata, a benign condition characterized by deep grooves in the dorsum of the tongue
* Pars plicata
The pars plicata (also known as corona ciliaris ) ...
,
lanceolate, parallel-veined
leaves
A leaf (plural, : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant plant stem, stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", wh ...
, which can be up to 65 cm long.
[Thomas, S.A. 1997 - Taxonomic revision of the genus Acanthephippium (Orchidaceae). Orchid Monographs, Vol. 8, pp. 119–134, 178-179, 236-246, figures 56-66, plates 5c-6d. Rijksherbarium / Hortus Botanicus, Leiden, The Netherlands.]
The erect
inflorescence arises laterally from the pseudobulbs, with 3 to 6 flowers,
subtended
In geometry, an angle is subtended by an arc, line segment or any other section of a curve when its two rays pass through the endpoints of that arc, line segment or curve section. Conversely, the arc, line segment or curve section confined wi ...
by large,
glabrous bract
In botany, a bract is a modified or specialized leaf, especially one associated with a reproductive structure such as a flower, inflorescence axis or cone scale. Bracts are usually different from foliage leaves. They may be smaller, larger, or of ...
s. The flowers are prominent, large,
striated
Striations means a series of ridges, furrows or linear marks, and is used in several ways:
* Glacial striation
* Striation (fatigue), in material
* Striation (geology), a ''striation'' as a result of a geological fault
* Striation Valley, in ...
cup- or urn-shaped, fleshy, waxy, and about 4 cm long. They resemble a
tulip, a most unusual shape for an orchid. The flowers have a wide range of colors, from dull yellow to red to shades of orange and pink, marked with stripes or spots. The blossoms are usually odiferous with a very strong fragrance.
This genus is allied to genera ''
Calanthe
''Calanthe'', commonly known as Christmas orchids, is a genus of about 220 species of orchids in the family Orchidaceae. They are evergreen or deciduous terrestrial plants with thick roots, small oval pseudobulbs, large corrugated leaves and upr ...
'', ''
Cephalantheropsis
''Cephalantheropsis'' is a genus of orchids (family Orchidaceae), comprising 4 accepted species distributed in China, Japan, the Eastern Himalayas and Southeast Asia.
Closely related to '' Calanthe'' and ''Phaius'', recent phylogenetic analys ...
'', ''
Phaius
''Phaius'', commonly known as swamp orchids or in Chinese as 鶴頂蘭屬/鹤顶兰属 (he ding lan shu), is a genus of forty-five species of flowering plants in the orchid family, Orchidaceae. They are evergreen, terrestrial herbs which form c ...
'', and ''
Spathoglottis
''Spathoglottis'', commonly known as purple orchids or 苞舌兰属 (bao she lan shu) is a genus of about fifty species of orchids in the family Orchidaceae. They are evergreen terrestrial herbs with crowded pseudobulbs, a small number of leaves ...
''.
Taxonomy
The genus ''Acanthophippium'' was first described by
Carl Ludwig Blume in 1825. He used the spelling with an "o".
Many sources have since spelt the name "''Acanthephippium''" (i.e. with an "e"). This is regarded as an orthographic variant by the
International Plant Names Index.
The original spelling is used by sources such as the
World Checklist of Selected Plant Families.
Species
# ''
Acanthophippium bicolor'' (S. India, Sri Lanka, New Guinea).
# ''
Acanthophippium chrysoglossum'' (W. Sumatra).
# ''
Acanthophippium curtisii
''Acanthophippium'' is a genus of orchid with thirteen species (family Orchidaceae). The name of this genus is derived from the Greek words ''acanthos'' ("spiny") and ''ephippion'' ("saddle"), referring to the saddle-like labellum of the pl ...
'' (Borneo - Sarawak).
# ''
Acanthophippium eburneum'' (N. Sumatra, Borneo - Sarawak).
# ''
Acanthophippium gougahensis'' (Thailand, Vietnam).
# ''
Acanthophippium javanicum
''Acanthophippium javanicum'' is a species of orchid
Orchids are plants that belong to the family Orchidaceae (), a diverse and widespread group of flowering plants with blooms that are often colourful and fragrant.
Along with the Asterace ...
'' (W. Malaysia, Borneo, Java, Sumatra, New Guinea). (type species; commonly grown)
# ''
Acanthophippium lilacinum'' (N. Borneo).
# ''
Acanthophippium mantinianum'' (Philippines) (commonly grown)
# ''
Acanthophippium parviflorum'' (Vietnam, S. Sumatra to Java).
# ''
Acanthophippium sinense'' (China)
# ''
Acanthophippium splendidum'' (Sulawesi to SW. Pacific, New Guinea).
# ''
Acanthophippium striatum'' (E. Himalaya to Java). (commonly grown)
# ''
Acanthophippium sylhetense'' (Sikkim to Philippines)
References
External links
*
*
American Orchid Society, ''Acanthephippium mantinianum'' L.Linden & Cogn.Orchid Cambodia, ''Acanthephippium gouhahensis''Papua New Guinea Orchids, ''Acanthephippium'' Swiss Orchid Foundation at Herbarium Jany Renz, ''Acanthephippium gougahensis'' (Guillaumin) Seidenf.
Collabieae genera
Paleotropical flora
Taxa named by Carl Ludwig Blume
{{Epidendroideae-stub