''Acriopsis'', commonly known as chandelier orchids or 合萼兰属 (he e lan shu) is a genus of flowering plants in the family Orchidaceaes. Orchids in this genus are

epiphytic An epiphyte is an organism that grows on the surface of a plant and derives its moisture and nutrients from the air, rain, water (in marine environments) or from debris accumulating around it. The plants on which epiphytes grow are called phoroph ...

herbs In general use, herbs are a widely distributed and widespread group of plants, excluding vegetables and other plants consumed for macronutrients, with savory or aromatic properties that are used for flavoring and garnishing food, for medicinal ...

with spherical or cylindrical pseudobulbs, creeping, branched

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, thin white roots, two or three leaves and many small flowers. The flowers are non-resupinate with the lateral sepals joined along their edges and have spreading

petal Petals are modified Leaf, leaves that surround the reproductive parts of flowers. They are often advertising coloration, brightly colored or unusually shaped to attract pollinators. All of the petals of a flower are collectively known as the ''c ...

s and a three-lobed labellum. The

column A column or pillar in architecture and structural engineering is a structural element that transmits, through compression, the weight of the structure above to other structural elements below. In other words, a column is a compression member. ...

has projections that extend hood-like beyond the

anther The stamen (plural ''stamina'' or ''stamens'') is the pollen-producing reproductive organ of a flower. Collectively the stamens form the androecium., p. 10 Morphology and terminology A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filam ...

. The genus was first formally described in 1825 by Carl Ludwig Blume who published the description in ''Bijdragen tot de flora van Nederlandsch Indië''. The name ''Acriopsis'' is derived from the Ancient Greek words ''akris'' meaning "locust" or "grasshopper" and ''opsis'', meaning "having the appearance of" or "like", referring to the grasshopper-like shape of the column." Orchids in the genus ''Acriopsis'' are found in India, Yunnan, Southeast Asia, New Guinea, Melanesia, Micronesia and Queensland. They grow mainly in low, humid

rainforest Rainforests are characterized by a closed and continuous tree canopy, moisture-dependent vegetation, the presence of epiphytes and lianas and the absence of wildfire. Rainforest can be classified as tropical rainforest or temperate rainfores ...

s, sometimes ascending to medium altitudes. Their roots have specialised roots which grow from them up through the air and make branches which feed on litter and other debris.Jones, David L. (2006). ''A Complete Guide to Native Orchids of Australia including the Island Territories''. New Holland Publishers, Frenchs Forest, N.S.W. 2086, Australia. .Acriopsis, Australian Orchid Names
/ref>Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
/ref>

Species

The following is a list of ''Acriopsis'' species accepted by the World Checklist of Selected Plant Families (WCSPF) as at January 2019: *''

Acriopsis carrii ''Acriopsis'', commonly known as chandelier orchids or 合萼兰属 (he e lan shu) is a genus of flowering plants in the family Orchidaceaes. Orchids in this genus are epiphytic herbs with spherical or cylindrical pseudobulbs, creeping, bra ...

'' Holttum - Kelantan *''

Acriopsis densiflora ''Acriopsis'', commonly known as chandelier orchids or 合萼兰属 (he e lan shu) is a genus of flowering plants in the Family (biology), family Orchidaceaes. Orchids in this genus are Epiphyte, epiphytic Herbaceous plant, herbs with spherical ...

'' Lindl. **''Acriopsis densiflora ''var''. borneensis'' (Ridl.) Minderh. & de Vogel - Borneo **''Acriopsis densiflora ''var''. densiflora'' - Borneo,

Sumatra Sumatra is one of the Sunda Islands of western Indonesia. It is the largest island that is fully within Indonesian territory, as well as the sixth-largest island in the world at 473,481 km2 (182,812 mi.2), not including adjacent i ...

, Peninsular Malaysia *'' Acriopsis emarginata'' D.L.Jones & M.A.Clem. - Queensland *''

Acriopsis floribunda ''Acriopsis'', commonly known as chandelier orchids or 合萼兰属 (he e lan shu) is a genus of flowering plants in the family Orchidaceaes. Orchids in this genus are epiphytic herbs with spherical or cylindrical pseudobulbs, creeping, bra ...

'' Ames *'' Acriopsis gracilis'' Minderh. & de Vogel - Sabah *''

Acriopsis indica ''Acriopsis indica'' is a species of orchid in the genus ''Acriopsis''. It is widespread through much of Southeast Asia, native to Yunnan, Assam, Andaman Islands, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, Borneo, Java, Lesser Sunda Isl ...

'' C.Wright - Yunnan, Assam,

Andaman Islands The Andaman Islands () are an archipelago in the northeastern Indian Ocean about southwest off the coasts of Myanmar's Ayeyarwady Region. Together with the Nicobar Islands to their south, the Andamans serve as a maritime boundary between th ...

, Cambodia,

Laos Laos (, ''Lāo'' )), officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic ( Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ, French: République démocratique populaire lao), is a socialist ...

Myanmar Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John C. Wells, Joh ...

, Thailand, Vietnam, Borneo, Java,

Lesser Sunda Islands The Lesser Sunda Islands or nowadays known as Nusa Tenggara Islands ( id, Kepulauan Nusa Tenggara, formerly ) are an archipelago in Maritime Southeast Asia, north of Australia. Together with the Greater Sunda Islands to the west they make up t ...

, Malaysia, Philippines,

Sulawesi Sulawesi (), also known as Celebes (), is an island in Indonesia. One of the four Greater Sunda Islands, and the world's eleventh-largest island, it is situated east of Borneo, west of the Maluku Islands, and south of Mindanao and the Sulu Ar ...

*'' Acriopsis inopinata'' Phoon & P.O'Byrne - Peninsular Malaysia *'' Acriopsis latifolia'' Rolfe - Peninsular Malaysia *''

Acriopsis liliifolia ''Acriopsis lilifolia'' is a species of orchid in the genus ''Acriopsis ''Acriopsis'', commonly known as chandelier orchids or 合萼兰属 (he e lan shu) is a genus of flowering plants in the family Orchidaceaes. Orchids in this genus are e ...

'' (J.Koenig) Seidenf. **''Acriopsis liliifolia ''var''. auriculata'' (Minderh. & de Vogel) J.J.Wood -

, Vietnam, Borneo, Java,

, Peninsular Malaysia **''Acriopsis liliifolia ''var''. liliifolia'' - Assam, Sikkim,

, Cambodia,

, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Borneo, Java, Malaysia, Maluku,

, Philippines, New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Queensland, Caroline Islands *'' Acriopsis ridleyi'' Hook.f. - Borneo, Malaysia ''

Acriopsis javanica ''Acriopsis javanica'' is a species of orchid that is native to Southeast Asia, New Guinea, some Pacific islands and northern Australia. It is a clump-forming epiphyte with dark green leaves and curved, branching flower stems with many white and ...

'' is listed as a

synonym A synonym is a word, morpheme, or phrase that means exactly or nearly the same as another word, morpheme, or phrase in a given language. For example, in the English language, the words ''begin'', ''start'', ''commence'', and ''initiate'' are all ...

of ''

'' var. ''lillifolia'' at WCSPF but is accepted by the Australian Plant Census''.

References

External links

* * Cymbidiinae genera Taxa named by Carl Ludwig Blume Cymbidiinae {{Cymbidieae-stub