genus
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...
of leafless
neotropical
The Neotropical realm is one of the eight biogeographic realms constituting Earth's land surface. Physically, it includes the tropical terrestrial ecoregions of the Americas and the entire South American temperate zone.
Definition
In bioge ...
orchids
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 Asteraceae, they are one of the two largest families of flowering ...
(family
Orchidaceae
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 Asteraceae, they are one of the two largest families of flowering ...
) native to
Mexico
Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
,
Central America
Central America ( es, América Central or ) is a subregion of the Americas. Its boundaries are defined as bordering the United States to the north, Colombia to the south, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. ...
, the
West Indies
The West Indies is a subregion of North America, surrounded by the North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea that includes 13 independent island countries and 18 dependencies and other territories in three major archipelagos: the Greater A ...
, and
Florida
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
.Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families /ref> The name is from Greek δένδρον ("tree") and φύλαξ ("guard; keeper"). One species, ''
Dendrophylax lindenii
''Dendrophylax lindenii'', the ghost orchid (a common name also used for ''Epipogium aphyllum'') is a perennial epiphyte from the orchid family (Orchidaceae). It is native to Florida, the Bahamas, and Cuba. Other common names include palm polly ...
'', featured heavily in the book ''
The Orchid Thief
''The Orchid Thief'' is a 1998 non-fiction book by American journalist Susan Orlean, based on her investigation of the 1994 arrest of horticulturist John Laroche and a group of Seminoles in south Florida for poaching rare orchids in the Fakahat ...
''.
Biology
The plants of this genus are unusual in that they consist of masses of photosynthetic roots anchored in trees with a highly reduced stem and ephemeral leaves which have been reduced to scales. The bulk of these plants consists only of flat, cord-like, green
root
In vascular plants, the roots are the organs of a plant that are modified to provide anchorage for the plant and take in water and nutrients into the plant body, which allows plants to grow taller and faster. They are most often below the sur ...
s with distinctive "track marks". These white track marks are called '' pneumatodes'' and function in much the same manner as
stomata
In botany, a stoma (from Greek ''στόμα'', "mouth", plural "stomata"), also called a stomate (plural "stomates"), is a pore found in the epidermis of leaves, stems, and other organs, that controls the rate of gas exchange. The pore is bor ...
allowing the photosynthetic roots to perform gas exchange to support
photosynthesis
Photosynthesis is a process used by plants and other organisms to convert light energy into chemical energy that, through cellular respiration, can later be released to fuel the organism's activities. Some of this chemical energy is stored i ...
.
Phylogeny
Members of this genus are distant relatives of the African and Indian Ocean genus ''
Angraecum
The genus ''Angraecum'', abbreviated as Angcm in horticultural trade, common name comet orchid, contains about 220 species.
Etymology
Despite the genus's distribution being largely confined to Africa and its offshore islands, the genus name is a ...
''; it seems that orchid seed, blowing like dust, crossed the Atlantic at least once and successfully colonized new habitat. Current evidence derived from molecular studies indicates that the original arrival from Africa which spawned this genus and the related genus ''Harriselia'' was a member of the subtribe Angraecineae with small leaves and flowers and a monopodial growth habit, and the leafless habit developed in parallel in both Africa and the Caribbean, since the genes are present in all members of the subtribe Angraecineae and the leafless habit is common in several genera within the
Vandeae
The Vandeae is a large monophyletic tribe within the family of orchids.
Scope
This tribe contains 1,700 - 2,000 species in more than 150 genera.
Epiphytic
These orchids are pantropical epiphytes and occur in tropical Asia, the Pacific Islands, ...
Microcoelia
''Microcoelia'' is a genus of orchids native to sub-Saharan Africa as well as to Madagascar and other islands of the Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or ~19.8% of the water ...
Dendrophylax lindenii
''Dendrophylax lindenii'', the ghost orchid (a common name also used for ''Epipogium aphyllum'') is a perennial epiphyte from the orchid family (Orchidaceae). It is native to Florida, the Bahamas, and Cuba. Other common names include palm polly ...
'' produce large, showy, white flowers which are highly fragrant and described as smelling fruity and reminiscent of an apple. Most members of this genus are pollinated by various species of moths with very long probosces and the flowers of most species within this genus possess very long nectar spurs ranging from 4 to 8 inches in length on average. The giant sphinx moth is known to pollinate several species within this genus.
'' Dendrophylax funalis'' is more commonly and easily cultivated that other members of the genus and the plants tend to get very large and robust in both habitat and cultivation. Other members of this genus are very difficult subjects in cultivation such as ''
Dendrophylax lindenii
''Dendrophylax lindenii'', the ghost orchid (a common name also used for ''Epipogium aphyllum'') is a perennial epiphyte from the orchid family (Orchidaceae). It is native to Florida, the Bahamas, and Cuba. Other common names include palm polly ...
'', and some members of this genus defy cultivation or are of little interest to orchid enthusiasts because they produce very small flowers.Illustrated Encyclopedia of Orchids
Dendrophylax lindenii
''Dendrophylax lindenii'', the ghost orchid (a common name also used for ''Epipogium aphyllum'') is a perennial epiphyte from the orchid family (Orchidaceae). It is native to Florida, the Bahamas, and Cuba. Other common names include palm polly ...