''Dipodium'', commonly known as hyacinth orchids, is a genus of about forty species of orchids native to tropical,

subtropical The subtropical zones or subtropics are geographical zone, geographical and Köppen climate classification, climate zones to the Northern Hemisphere, north and Southern Hemisphere, south of the tropics. Geographically part of the Geographical z ...

and temperate regions of south-east Asia, New Guinea, the

Pacific Islands Collectively called the Pacific Islands, the islands in the Pacific Ocean are further categorized into three major island groups: Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. Depending on the context, the term ''Pacific Islands'' may refer to one of se ...

and

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

. It includes both terrestrial and climbing species, some with leaves and some leafless, but all with large, often colourful flowers on tall flowering stems. It is the only genus of its alliance, ''Dipodium''.

Description

Orchids in the genus ''Dipodium'' are perennial, terrestrial

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 ...

or climbers/ epiphytes. Many species, particularly in eastern Australia are leafless

mycoheterotrophs Myco-heterotrophy (from Ancient Greek, Greek μύκης , "fungus", ἕτερος ', "another", "different" and τροφή ', "nutrition") is a symbiosis, symbiotic relationship between certain kinds of plants and fungi, in which the plant gets a ...

. Others have medium-sized to very large leaves that are parallel-veined and have entire margins. The flowers are arranged in a

raceme A raceme ( or ) or racemoid is an unbranched, indeterminate type of inflorescence bearing flowers having short floral stalks along the shoots that bear the flowers. The oldest flowers grow close to the base and new flowers are produced as the s ...

with very few or up to fifty large, often colourful flowers. These may be fragrant or odourless, are white, pink, purple, yellow or green, often with spots or blotches. The sepals and

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 are free from and similar to each other. The labellum projects forwards and has three lobes with a central band of colourful hairs. Each flower has two pollinia that are supported on two

stipes Crucifixion is a method of capital punishment in which the victim is tied or nailed to a large wooden cross or beam and left to hang until eventual death from exhaustion and asphyxiation. It was used as a punishment by the Persians, Carthagin ...

Dehiscent Dehiscence is the splitting of a mature plant structure along a built-in line of weakness to release its contents. This is common among fruits, anthers and sporangia. Sometimes this involves the complete detachment of a part; structures that op ...

capsules, produced after flowering, hold the seed which is released when the capsule splits longitudinally along six seams. Between 30 and 500 seeds are produced per capsule.

Taxonomy

The genus was formally described in 1810 by Scottish botanist Robert Brown in '' Prodromus Florae Novae Hollandiae et Insulae Van Diemen''. The name ''Dipodium'' is derived the Greek words ''di'' (two) and ''podia'' (little feet), a reference to the two stipes supporting the pollinia. Dipodium punctatum portrait

Distribution and habitat

Hyacinth orchids are found in Malaysia, the Philippines, Indonesia, the Solomon Islands, the New Hebrides,

New Caledonia ) , anthem = "" , image_map = New Caledonia on the globe (small islands magnified) (Polynesia centered).svg , map_alt = Location of New Caledonia , map_caption = Location of New Caledonia , mapsize = 290px , subdivision_type = Sovereign st ...

, New Guinea and Australia where eleven species are endemic. They occur in a range of habitats from coastal lowlands to ranges and tablelands.

Ecology

It is thought that the flowers attract native bees and wasps through floral mimicry.

Uses

An infusion of the leaves of ''

Use in horticulture

Leafless hyacinth orchids are impossible to grow in cultivation but '' D. pandanum'' is easy to grow in warm climates.

Species

The following is a list of described species in the genus ''Dipodium'', recognised by the '' World Checklist of Selected Plant Families'' apart from ''

Dipodium punctatum ''Dipodium punctatum'', commonly known as the blotched hyacinth-orchid, is a leafless orchid that is a native to eastern and south-eastern continental Australia. In summer it produces a tall flowering stem with up to sixty pale to bright pink fl ...

'' which is recognised as a species in Australia (rather than 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 ''

Dipodium squamatum ''Dipodium squamatum'' is a myco-heterotrophy, mycoheterotrophicorchid species of the tribe Cymbidieae. Taxonomy The species was formally described in 1786 by German botanist Georg Forster, who gave it the name ''Ophrys squamata''. It was then t ...

''). *''

Dipodium ambiguum ''Dipodium ambiguum'' is an orchid species that is endemic in Borneo Borneo (; id, Kalimantan) is the third-largest island in the world and the largest in Asia. At the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia, in relation to major In ...

'' - from Malesia *''

Dipodium atropurpureum ''Dipodium atropurpureum'', commonly known as the purple hyacinth orchid, is a mostly leafless mycoheterotrophic orchid that is endemic to New South Wales. In summer it has up to forty dark pinkish purple to reddish purple flowers with darker sp ...

'' - purple hyacinth orchid, from New South Wales *''

Dipodium bicallosum ''Dipodium bicallosum'' is an orchid species that is native to Peninsular Malaysia and Sumatra in Indonesia. The species was formally described in 1927 by Dutch botanist Johannes Jacobus Smith Johannes Jacobus Smith (Antwerp 29 June 1867 – ...

'' - from Peninsular Malaysia and

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 ...

*''

Dipodium bicarinatum ''Dipodium'', commonly known as hyacinth orchids, is a genus of about forty species of orchids native to tropical, subtropical and temperate regions of south-east Asia, New Guinea, the Pacific Islands and Australia. It includes both terrestri ...

'' - from Peninsular Malaysia *''

Dipodium brassii ''Dipodium'', commonly known as hyacinth orchids, is a genus of about forty species of orchids native to tropical, subtropical and temperate regions of south-east Asia, New Guinea, the Pacific Islands and Australia. It includes both terr ...

'' - from Papua New Guinea *''

Dipodium brevilabium ''Dipodium brevilabium'' is an orchid species that is endemic to Western Papua in Indonesia. The species was formally described in 2009. References External links * {{Taxonbar, from=Q15694888 brevilabium Orchids of Indonesia Plants ...

'' - from Western Papua *''

Dipodium campanulatum ''Dipodium campanulatum'', commonly known as the bell-flower hyacinth orchid, is a leafless mycoheterotroph orchid that is endemic to south-eastern Australia. In summer it has up to thirty five white flowers with large, dark red spots and blotch ...

'' - bell-flower hyacinth-orchid, from South Australia and Victoria *''

Dipodium chanii ''Dipodium'', commonly known as hyacinth orchids, is a genus of about forty species of orchids native to Tropics, tropical, subtropical and temperate regions of south-east Asia, New Guinea, the Pacific Islands and Australia. It includes both Te ...

'' - from Borneo *''

Dipodium conduplicatum ''Dipodium conduplicatum '' is an orchid species that is native to Peninsular Malaysia and 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 ...

'' - from Peninsular Malaysia and Sumatra *''

Dipodium confusum ''Dipodium'', commonly known as hyacinth orchids, is a genus of about forty species of orchids native to tropical, subtropical and temperate regions of south-east Asia, New Guinea, the Pacific Islands and Australia. It includes both terrestrial ...

'' - from Borneo *''

Dipodium elatum ''Dipodium'', commonly known as hyacinth orchids, is a genus of about forty species of orchids native to tropical, subtropical and temperate regions of south-east Asia, New Guinea, the Pacific Islands and Australia. It includes both terrestrial ...

'' – from Sumatra *''

Dipodium elegans ''Dipodium elegans'' is an orchid species that is native to Sumatra in Indonesia. The species was formally described in 1900 by Dutch botanist Johannes Jacobus Smith Johannes Jacobus Smith (Antwerp 29 June 1867 – Oegstgeest 14 January 1947) ...

'' - from Sumatra *''

Dipodium elegantulum ''Dipodium elegantulum'', commonly known as the elegant hyacinth orchid, is a leafless orchid that is Endemism, endemic to Queensland. In spring and summer it has up to sixty pale to dark pink flowers with a few darker spots and streaks near the ...

'' - elegant hyacinth-orchid, from Queensland *''

Dipodium ensifolium ''Dipodium ensifolium'', commonly known as leafy hyacinth-orchid, is an orchid species that is endemic to north-east Queensland. It has sword-shaped leaves and up to twenty pink to mauve flowers with purplish spots and blotches. Description '' ...

'' - leafy hyacinth-orchid, from north-east Queensland *''

Dipodium fevrellii ''Dipodium fevrellii'' is an orchid species that is endemic to Sulawesi in Indonesia. The species was formally described in 1933 by Dutch botanist Johannes Jacobus Smith Johannes Jacobus Smith (Antwerp 29 June 1867 – Oegstgeest 14 January 19 ...

'' - from Sulawesi *''

Dipodium fragrans ''Dipodium fragrans'' is an orchid species that is native to south-east Asia. It was formally described in 2006. It occurs in Sumatra, Peninsular Malaysia, Borneo and Sulawesi Sulawesi (), also known as Celebes (), is an island in Indonesia ...

'' - from Sumatra, Peninsular Malaysia, Borneo and

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 ...

*''

Dipodium freycinetioides ''Dipodium freycinetioides'' is an orchid species that is native to Palau. The species was formally described in 1937 by Japanese botanist Noriaki Fukuyama. Fukuyama described the species as climbing up trees in Aimeliik on the island of Babeldao ...

'' - from Palau *''

Dipodium gracile ''Dipodium gracile'' is an orchid species that is native to Sulawesi in Indonesia. The species was formally described in 1911 by German botanist Rudolf Schlechter Friedrich Richard Rudolf Schlechter (16 October 1872 – 16 November 1925) was a ...

'' - from Sulawesi *''

Dipodium hamiltonianum ''Dipodium hamiltonianum'', commonly known as yellow hyacinth-orchid, is a leafless mycoheterotroph orchid that is endemic to eastern Australia. It has up to twenty five greenish flowers with dark red spots on a tall flowering stem. Description ...

'' - yellow hyacinth-orchid, from Queensland, New South Wales, the A.C.T. and Victoria *''

Dipodium javanicum ''Dipodium'', commonly known as hyacinth orchids, is a genus of about forty species of orchids native to tropical, subtropical and temperate regions of south-east Asia, New Guinea, the Pacific Islands and Australia. It includes both terr ...

'' - from West Java *'' Dipodium lambii'' - from Borneo *''

Dipodium meijeri ''Dipodium'', commonly known as hyacinth orchids, is a genus of about forty species of orchids native to tropical, subtropical and temperate regions of south-east Asia, New Guinea, the Pacific Islands and Australia. It includes both terrestrial ...

'' - from Borneo *''

Dipodium moultonii ''Dipodium'', commonly known as hyacinth orchids, is a genus of about forty species of orchids native to tropical, subtropical and temperate regions of south-east Asia, New Guinea, the Pacific Islands and Australia. It includes both terr ...

'' - from Borneo *''

Dipodium paludosum ''Dipodium paludosum'' is a terrestrial orchid species that is native to south-east Asia. It occurs in Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam, the Philippines, Sumatra, Peninsular Malaysia and Borneo. The leaves up to 30 cm long and 2.5 cm ...

'' - from Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam, The Philippines, Sumatra, Peninsular Malaysia and Borneo *''

Dipodium pandanum ''Dipodium pandanum'' is a species of orchid. It is a scrambling shrub native to the Maluku Islands, Papuasia (the Bismarck Archipelago, New Guinea, and the Solomon Islands), and Queensland.Dipodium pardalinum ''Dipodium pardalinum'', commonly known as spotted hyacinth-orchid or leopard hyacinth-orchid, is a leafless hemiparasitic orchid that is endemic to south-eastern Australia. Description For most of the year, plants are dormant and have no above- ...

'' - spotted hyacinth-orchid or leopard hyacinth-orchid, from South Australia and Victoria *''

Dipodium parviflorum ''Dipodium'', commonly known as hyacinth orchids, is a genus of about forty species of orchids native to tropical, subtropical and temperate regions of south-east Asia, New Guinea, the Pacific Islands and Australia. It includes both terrestrial ...

'' - from Peninsular Malaysia and Sumatra *''

Dipodium pictum ''Dipodium pictum'', commonly known as brittle climbing-orchid or climbing hyacinth-orchid, is an orchid species that is native to Malesia (including Indonesia and New Guinea) and the Cape York Peninsula in Australia. Description ''Dipodium pict ...

'' - from Malesia and the Cape York Peninsula in Queensland *''

Dipodium pulchellum ''Dipodium pulchellum'' is an almost leafless orchid that is endemic to north-east New South Wales and south-east Queensland in Australia. Up to forty pink flowers with darker blotches are borne in summer and winter on flowering spikes up to lon ...

'' - from New South Wales and Queensland *''

'' - blotched hyacinth-orchid or hyacinth orchid, from New South Wales, the A.C.T., Victoria, and South Australia *''

Dipodium purpureum ''Dipodium purpureum'' is an orchid species that is native to Borneo. The species was formally described in 1910 by Dutch botanist Johannes Jacobus Smith. References External links * purpureum Orchids of Borneo Plants described in 191 ...

'' - from Borneo *''

Dipodium robertyongii ''Dipodium'', commonly known as hyacinth orchids, is a genus of about forty species of orchids native to tropical, subtropical and temperate regions of south-east Asia, New Guinea, the Pacific Islands and Australia. It includes both terrestrial ...

'' - from Borneo *''

Dipodium roseum ''Dipodium roseum'', commonly known as rosy hyacinth-orchid or pink hyacinth-orchid, is a leafless saprophytic orchid found in east and south-eastern Australia. In summer it produces a tall flowering stem with up to fifty pale pink flowers with ...

'' - rosy hyacinth-orchid or pink hyacinth-orchid, from Queensland, New South Wales, the A.C.T., Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania *''

Dipodium scandens ''Dipodium scandens'' is an orchid species that is native to Malesia. Taxonomy The species was formally described in 1849 by German-Dutch botanist Carl Ludwig Blume who gave it the name ''Leopardanthus scandens''. It was given its current name b ...

'' - from Borneo, Java, The Philippines, Sulawesi, New Guinea, the Bismark Archipelago and the Solomon Islands *''

Dipodium speciosum ''Dipodium'', commonly known as hyacinth orchids, is a genus of about forty species of orchids native to tropical, subtropical and temperate regions of south-east Asia, New Guinea, the Pacific Islands and Australia. It includes both terrestri ...

'' - from Peninsular Malaysia *''

'' - from

and Vanuatu *''

Dipodium stenocheilum ''Dipodium'', commonly known as hyacinth orchids, is a genus of about forty species of orchids native to tropical, subtropical and temperate regions of south-east Asia, New Guinea, the Pacific Islands and Australia. It includes both terrestrial ...

'' - tropical hyacinth-orchid, from the northern parts of Western Australia, the Northern Territory and Queensland. *''

Dipodium variegatum ''Dipodium variegatum'', commonly known as the slender hyacinth-orchid, or blotched hyacinth-orchid, is a leafless mycoheterotrophic orchid that is endemic to south-eastern Australia. It forms mycorrhizal relationships with fungi of the genus ...

'' - blotched hyacinth-orchid or slender hyacinth-orchid, from Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria *''

Dipodium wenzelii ''Dipodium'', commonly known as hyacinth orchids, is a genus of about forty species of orchids native to tropical, subtropical and temperate regions of south-east Asia, New Guinea, the Pacific Islands and Australia. It includes both terr ...

'' - from Borneo

Undescribed species

*''Dipodium'' sp. Basalt Woodland (M.D. Barrett 198) - northern

Kimberley Kimberly or Kimberley may refer to: Places and historical events Australia * Kimberley (Western Australia) ** Roman Catholic Diocese of Kimberley * Kimberley Warm Springs, Tasmania * Kimberley, Tasmania a small town * County of Kimberley, a ...

, Western Australia. *''Dipodium'' sp. Sandstone (R.L. Barrett & K.W. Dixon 1642) - northern Kimberley,

References

External links

* {{Taxonbar, from=Q2062901 Eulophiinae genera