''Stelis'', or leach orchids, is a large
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
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 Asteraceae, they are one of the two largest families of flowering ...
s, with perhaps 500
species
In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...
. The generic name ''Stelis'' is the
Greek
Greek may refer to:
Greece
Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe:
*Greeks, an ethnic group.
*Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family.
**Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...
word for '
mistletoe
Mistletoe is the common name for obligate hemiparasitic plants in the order Santalales. They are attached to their host tree or shrub by a structure called the haustorium, through which they extract water and nutrients from the host plant.
...
', referring to the
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 ...
habit of these species. These mainly
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 ...
(rarely
lithophytic
Lithophytes are plants that grow in or on rocks. They can be classified as either epilithic (or epipetric) or endolithic; epilithic lithophytes grow on the surfaces of rocks, while endolithic lithophytes grow in the crevices of rocks (and are als ...
) plants are widely distributed throughout much of
South America
South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the southe ...
,
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. ...
,
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 ...
, 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](_blank)
/ref>
Many of the older species were named by Lindley, Ruiz & Pavon and Reichenbach, while many of the recent species were named by Carlyle A. Luer
Carlyle August Luer (August 23, 1922 – November 9, 2019) was a botanist specializing in the Orchidaceae. His specialty interest was the Pleurothallidinae (Genus ''Pleurothallis'') and allied species.
Born to Carl & Vera Luer, he was raised in ...
. An orchid of the genus ''Stelis'' was probably the first American orchid ever to be brought to Europe. An herbarium
A herbarium (plural: herbaria) is a collection of preserved plant specimens and associated data used for scientific study.
The specimens may be whole plants or plant parts; these will usually be in dried form mounted on a sheet of paper (called ...
specimen was depicted in 1591 in Tabernaemontanus' herbal book.
Description
A single oblanceolate leaf
A leaf ( : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, ste ...
develops from narrow, leathery outgrowths from a creeping stem
Stem or STEM may refer to:
Plant structures
* Plant stem, a plant's aboveground axis, made of vascular tissue, off which leaves and flowers hang
* Stipe (botany), a stalk to support some other structure
* Stipe (mycology), the stem of a mushro ...
.
Most species grow long, dense 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 ...
s of small to minute flower in diverse shades of white. Other colors are rare. These flowers are photosensitive, only opening in the sunlight. Some close completely at night.
The three symmetrically rounded sepal
A sepal () is a part of the flower of angiosperms (flowering plants). Usually green, sepals typically function as protection for the flower in bud, and often as support for the petals when in bloom., p. 106 The term ''sepalum'' was coined b ...
s generally form a triangle with a small central structure, made up of 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. ...
, small 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 small lip
The lips are the visible body part at the mouth of many animals, including humans. Lips are soft, movable, and serve as the opening for food intake and in the articulation of sound and speech. Human lips are a tactile sensory organ, and can be ...
, though slight variation to this theme does occur.
This genus is not common in cultivation.
Taxonomy
Cladistic
Cladistics (; ) is an approach to biological classification in which organisms are categorized in groups (" clades") based on hypotheses of most recent common ancestry. The evidence for hypothesized relationships is typically shared derived char ...
research (by A. Pridgeon, R. Solano and M. Chase) has shown that the genus ''Stelis'' is monophyletic
In cladistics for a group of organisms, monophyly is the condition of being a clade—that is, a group of taxa composed only of a common ancestor (or more precisely an ancestral population) and all of its lineal descendants. Monophyletic gro ...
. But the distinction with several ''Pleurothallis
''Pleurothallis'' is a genus of orchids commonly called bonnet orchids. The genus name is derived from the Greek word , meaning "riblike branches". This refers to the rib-like stems of many species. The genus is often abbreviated as "Pths" in hor ...
'' subgenera is blurred (see Reference).
They are closely related to the massive genus ''Pleurothallis
''Pleurothallis'' is a genus of orchids commonly called bonnet orchids. The genus name is derived from the Greek word , meaning "riblike branches". This refers to the rib-like stems of many species. The genus is often abbreviated as "Pths" in hor ...
'' and ''Masdevallia
''Masdevallia'', abbreviated Masd in horticultural trade, is a large genus of flowering plants of the Pleurothallidinae, a subtribe of the orchid family (Orchidaceae). There are over 500 species, grouped into several subgenera. The genus is nam ...
''. Although vegetatively the species show much variety, the flower
A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechani ...
s show a basic uniformity and are very similar throughout. ''Apatostelis'' Garay, ''Dialissa'' Lindl.
John Lindley FRS (5 February 1799 – 1 November 1865) was an English botanist, gardener and orchidologist.
Early years
Born in Catton, near Norwich, England, John Lindley was one of four children of George and Mary Lindley. George Lindley ...
, ''Humboldtia'' Ruiz The Spanish surname Ruiz originates from the Germanic personal name " Hrodric" which is composed of the elements "Hrōd", meaning "renown", and "rīc", meaning "power(ful)", thus "famous ruler". Ruiz is a patronymic from the personal name Ruy, a sh ...
& Pav. and ''Steliopsis'' Brieger are generally included into ''Stelis''.
History
The genus ''Stelis'' was discovered with Charles Plumier
Charles Plumier (; 20 April 1646 – 20 November 1704) was a French botanist after whom the frangipani genus ''Plumeria'' is named. Plumier is considered one of the most important of the botanical explorers of his time. He made three botanizing ...
, a French priest and botanist
Botany, also called , plant biology or phytology, is the science of plant life and a branch of biology. A botanist, plant scientist or phytologist is a scientist who specialises in this field. The term "botany" comes from the Ancient Greek wo ...
who was sent by Louis XIV
, house = Bourbon
, father = Louis XIII
, mother = Anne of Austria
, birth_date =
, birth_place = Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France
, death_date =
, death_place = Palace of Vers ...
, King of France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
, to study the flora
Flora is all the plant life present in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring (indigenous) native plants. Sometimes bacteria and fungi are also referred to as flora, as in the terms '' gut flora'' or '' skin flora''.
E ...
of the Antilles
The Antilles (; gcf, label=Antillean Creole, Antiy; es, Antillas; french: Antilles; nl, Antillen; ht, Antiy; pap, Antias; Jamaican Patois: ''Antiliiz'') is an archipelago bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the south and west, the Gulf of Mex ...
in around 1690. He collected numerous species in Dominica
Dominica ( or ; Kalinago: ; french: Dominique; Dominican Creole French: ), officially the Commonwealth of Dominica, is an island country in the Caribbean. The capital, Roseau, is located on the western side of the island. It is geographically ...
(Caribbean island) and other islands, and published his findings in a catalogue called ''Nova Plantarum Americanarum Genera'' in 1703. Later on, Nikolaus von Jacquin, a Dutch botanist who collected extensively in the Caribbean
The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean Se ...
, published his findings in two separate works. In 1760, he published the first one called ''Enumeratio Systematica Plantarum quas in Insulis Caribeis,'' where he described the same plant as Plumier´s polynomial ('' Epidendrum ophioglossoides''). In 1763, he published a more detailed second work called ''Selectarum Stirpium Americanarum Historia''. Here, Jacquin describes a plant of his own herbarium with the same name ('' E. ophioglossoides'')
Afterwards, on the “Expedición Botánica Española” (Spanish Botanic Expedition) sent by King Carlos III to study the flora
Flora is all the plant life present in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring (indigenous) native plants. Sometimes bacteria and fungi are also referred to as flora, as in the terms '' gut flora'' or '' skin flora''.
E ...
of Peru
, image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg
, image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg
, other_symbol = Great Seal of the State
, other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal
, national_motto = "Fi ...
and Chile
Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...
, Hipolito Ruiz and Joseph Pavon complete results established 11 small plants of a new genus which they named ''Humboltia'' in honor of the renowned German explorer and naturalist Alexander Von Humboldt
Friedrich Wilhelm Heinrich Alexander von Humboldt (14 September 17696 May 1859) was a German polymath, geographer, naturalist, explorer, and proponent of Romantic philosophy and science. He was the younger brother of the Prussian minister, p ...
. In 1799, Olof Swartz
Olof Peter Swartz (21 September 1760 – 19 September 1818) was a Swedish botanist and taxonomist. He is best known for his taxonomic work and studies into pteridophytes.
Biography
Olof Swartz attended the University of Uppsala where he st ...
, a Swedish botanist, studied the 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 ...
proposed by Ruiz The Spanish surname Ruiz originates from the Germanic personal name " Hrodric" which is composed of the elements "Hrōd", meaning "renown", and "rīc", meaning "power(ful)", thus "famous ruler". Ruiz is a patronymic from the personal name Ruy, a sh ...
and Pavon and found that it had been already used by Vahl to designate a Leguminosae. Because of this, he proposed the name ''Stelis'' in replacement of ''Humboltia.'' The species '' Epidendrum ophioglossoides'' was later moved to the genus ''Stelis'' by Swarz, and it is now the type species of the 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 ...
.
Species
Select species of ''Stelis'' include:
*''Stelis alata
''Stelis'', or leach orchids, is a large genus of orchids, with perhaps 500 species. The generic name ''Stelis'' is the Greek word for 'mistletoe', referring to the epiphytic habit of these species. These mainly epiphytic (rarely lithophytic) p ...
'' Lindl. – winged stelis
*''Stelis argentata
''Stelis argentata'', commonly known as the silvery stelis, is a species of orchid of the genus ''Stelis''.
It is found in Central America. It has stems of flowers.
External links
Stelis, argentata
Orchids of Central America
{{Epide ...
'' Lindl. – silvery stelis
*''Stelis aviceps
''Stelis'', or leach orchids, is a large genus of orchids, with perhaps 500 species. The generic name ''Stelis'' is the Greek (language), Greek word for 'mistletoe', referring to the epiphyte, epiphytic habit of these species. These mainly epip ...
'' Lindl. – bird head stelis
*''Stelis barbata
''Stelis'', or leach orchids, is a large genus of orchids, with perhaps 500 species. The generic name ''Stelis'' is the Greek (language), Greek word for 'mistletoe', referring to the epiphyte, epiphytic habit of these species. These mainly epip ...
'' Rolfe – bearded stelis
*''Stelis bidentata
''Stelis'', or leach orchids, is a large genus of orchids, with perhaps 500 species. The generic name ''Stelis'' is the Greek word for 'mistletoe', referring to the epiphytic habit of these species. These mainly epiphytic (rarely lithophytic) p ...
'' Schltr – two-toothed stelis
*''Stelis ciliaris
''Stelis'', or leach orchids, is a large genus of orchids, with perhaps 500 species. The generic name ''Stelis'' is the Greek word for 'mistletoe', referring to the epiphytic habit of these species. These mainly epiphytic (rarely lithophytic) p ...
'' Lindl. – hairy stelis
*'' Stelis crescentiicola'' Schltr – Crescentia living stelis
*''Stelis dalstroemii
''Stelis'', or leach orchids, is a large genus of orchids, with perhaps 500 species. The generic name ''Stelis'' is the Greek (language), Greek word for 'mistletoe', referring to the epiphyte, epiphytic habit of these species. These mainly epip ...
'' Luer
*''Stelis flexuosa
''Stelis'', or leach orchids, is a large genus of orchids, with perhaps 500 species. The generic name ''Stelis'' is the Greek (language), Greek word for 'mistletoe', referring to the epiphyte, epiphytic habit of these species. These mainly epip ...
'' – flexuous stelis
*'' Stelis gemma'' – gem stelis
*''Stelis glomerosa
''Stelis'', or leach orchids, is a large genus of orchids, with perhaps 500 species. The generic name ''Stelis'' is the Greek word for 'mistletoe', referring to the epiphytic habit of these species. These mainly epiphytic (rarely lithophytic) p ...
'' – ball stelis
*''Stelis guatemalensis
''Stelis'', or leach orchids, is a large genus of orchids, with perhaps 500 species. The generic name ''Stelis'' is the Greek word for 'mistletoe', referring to the epiphytic habit of these species. These mainly epiphytic (rarely lithophytic) p ...
'' – Guatemalan stelis
*''Stelis intermedia
''Stelis'', or leach orchids, is a large genus of orchids, with perhaps 500 species. The generic name ''Stelis'' is the Greek word for 'mistletoe', referring to the epiphytic habit of these species. These mainly epiphytic (rarely lithophytic) p ...
'' Poepp. & Endl. – in-between stelis
*'' Stelis leinigii'' – Leinig's stelis
*''Stelis megantha
''Stelis'', or leach orchids, is a large genus of orchids, with perhaps 500 species. The generic name ''Stelis'' is the Greek word for 'mistletoe', referring to the epiphytic habit of these species. These mainly epiphytic (rarely lithophytic) p ...
'' – giant anther stelis
*''Stelis palmeiraensis
''Stelis'', or leach orchids, is a large genus of orchids, with perhaps 500 species. The generic name ''Stelis'' is the Greek word for 'mistletoe', referring to the epiphytic habit of these species. These mainly epiphytic (rarely lithophytic) p ...
'' – Palmeira stelis
*''Stelis pauciflora
''Stelis'', or leach orchids, is a large genus of orchids, with perhaps 500 species. The generic name ''Stelis'' is the Greek word for 'mistletoe', referring to the epiphytic habit of these species. These mainly epiphytic (rarely lithophytic) p ...
'' Lindl.
*'' Stelis papaquerensis'' Rchb.f.
*''Stelis perpusilliflora
''Stelis'', or leach orchids, is a large genus of orchids, with perhaps 500 species. The generic name ''Stelis'' is the Greek word for 'mistletoe', referring to the epiphytic habit of these species. These mainly epiphytic (rarely lithophytic) p ...
'' – West Indian leach orchid
*''Stelis porschiana
''Stelis'', or leach orchids, is a large genus of orchids, with perhaps 500 species. The generic name ''Stelis'' is the Greek word for 'mistletoe', referring to the epiphytic habit of these species. These mainly epiphytic (rarely lithophytic) p ...
'' – Porsch's stelis
*''Stelis purpurea
''Stelis'', or leach orchids, is a large genus of orchids, with perhaps 500 species. The generic name ''Stelis'' is the Greek word for 'mistletoe', referring to the epiphytic habit of these species. These mainly epiphytic (rarely lithophytic) p ...
'' – purple stelis
*'' Stelis pygmaea'' – pygmy leach orchid
*''Stelis triangulisepala
''Stelis'', or leach orchids, is a large genus of orchids, with perhaps 500 species. The generic name ''Stelis'' is the Greek word for 'mistletoe', referring to the epiphytic habit of these species. These mainly epiphytic (rarely lithophytic) p ...
'' – triangular sepal stelis
References
* Dr. C. Luer - Icones Pleurothallidinarum XXIV: A first century of new species of ''Stelis'' of Ecuador. Part 1 (2002);
* Dr. C. Luer - Icones Pleurothallidinarum XXVI: ''Pleurothallis'' subgenus ''Acianthera'' and three allied subgenera; A Second Century of New Species of ''Stelis'' of Ecuador; ''Epibator'', ''Ophidion'', ''Zootrophion'' (2004);
Phylogenetic relationships in Pleurothallidinae
.
External links
*
*
{{Taxonbar, from=Q2720003
Epiphytic orchids
Pleurothallidinae genera
Orchids of Central America
Orchids of North America
Orchids of South America
Orchids of Florida
Orchids of Mexico
Flora of the Caribbean
Taxa named by Olof Swartz
Flora without expected TNC conservation status