''Mexipedium'' is a

monotypic In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not include subspecies or smaller, infraspecific taxa. In the case of genera, the term "unispec ...

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 the

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 ...

family Orchidaceae, subfamily

Cypripedioideae Cypripedioideae is a subfamily of orchids commonly known as lady's slipper orchids, lady slipper orchids or slipper orchids. Cypripedioideae includes the genera ''Cypripedium, Mexipedium, Paphiopedilum, Phragmipedium'' and ''Selenipedium''. They ...

, consisting of only one species, ''Mexipedium xerophyticum''. It is also the single genus of

tribe The term tribe is used in many different contexts to refer to a category of human social group. The predominant worldwide usage of the term in English language, English is in the discipline of anthropology. This definition is contested, in p ...

Mexipedieae and subtribe Mexipediinae.

Taxonomy and discovery

This species was initially described as ''Phragmipedium xerophyticum'' by Soto Arenas, Salazar & Hágsater in 1990, but transferred to its own genus by Albert & Chase in 1992, in part based on results from DNA analysis. The genus ''Mexipedium'' is listed as ''Phragmipedium'' in Appendix I of the

Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species CITES (shorter name for the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, also known as the Washington Convention) is a multilateral treaty to protect endangered plants and animals from the threats of interna ...

(CITES), and for other legal purposes. Allied genera include ''

Cypripedium ''Cypripedium'' is a genus of 58 species and nothospecies of hardy Orchidaceae, orchids; it is one of five genera that together compose the subfamily of lady's slipper orchids (Cypripedioideae). They are widespread across much of the Northern He ...

'', ''

Paphiopedilum ''Paphiopedilum'', often called the Venus slipper, is a genus of the lady slipper orchid subfamily ''Cypripedioideae'' of the flowering plant family Orchidaceae. The genus comprises some 80 accepted taxa including several natural hybrids. The ge ...

'', ''

Selenipedium ''Selenipedium'' is a genus of the Orchid family (''Orchidaceae'') (Subfamily ''Cypripedioideae''). The genus has been given its own tribe, Selenipedieae, and subtribe, Selenipediinae.Pridgeon, A.M.; Cribb, P.J.; Chase, M.W. & F. N. Rasmussen (1 ...

'' and ''

Phragmipedium ''Phragmipedium'' is a genus of the Orchid family (Orchidaceae) (Subfamily Cypripedioideae) and the only genus comprised in the tribe Phragmipedieae and subtribe Phragmipediinae. The name of the genus is derived from the Greek ''phragma'', which ...

''. Its name is derived from the country of origin Mexico and the Latin ' (“foot”), referring to the slipper-shaped

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 ...

. The

specific epithet In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bot ...

''xerophyticum'' is from 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 ...

''ξηρός'' (''xērós'', "dry") and ''φυτόν'' (''phutón'', "plant"), referring to its preference for dry conditions. ''Mexipedium xerophyticum'' is known from a single location in

Oaxaca Oaxaca ( , also , , from nci, Huāxyacac ), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Oaxaca ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Oaxaca), is one of the 32 states that compose the political divisions of Mexico, Federative Entities of Mexico. It is ...

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 ...

. Only seven plants were observed at the time of its discovery. ''Mexipedium'' was recently rediscovered in a nearby locality. A small number of plants were removed for propagation in case plant hunters eradicated the wild stock. Plants are now available as propagules.

Description and habitat

This is a

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 ...

orchid, growing on cliffs, shielded from the sun, at an elevation of . But it grows as well on rocks or in the

detritus In biology, detritus () is dead particulate organic material, as distinguished from dissolved organic material. Detritus typically includes the bodies or fragments of bodies of dead organisms, and fecal material. Detritus typically hosts commun ...

in crevasses. Its growth form is unusual in that it tends to spread by runners, offset from the parent plant by several centimeters. The silvery-green

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 ...

are small, stiff and semi-erect. The tiny white-pink flowers show a shieldlike, pinkish

staminode In botany, a staminode is an often rudimentary, sterile or abortive stamen, which means that it does not produce pollen.Jackson, Benjamin, Daydon; ''A Glossary of Botanic Terms with their Derivation and Accent''; Published by Gerald Duckworth & Co. ...

and a slipper-shaped

. The curved

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 scythe-shaped. Inflorescences are multifloral and branched. File:Mexipedium xerophyticum Orchi 010.jpg, Plant File:Mexipedium xerophyticum Orchi 038.jpg, Leaves File:Mexipedium xerophyticum Orchi 008 (cropped).jpg, Flower

References

* *

External links

{{Taxonbar, from1=Q2528348, from2=Q2428070, from3=Q14698671, from4=Q135713 Cypripedioideae Orchid genera Monotypic orchid genera Endemic orchids of Mexico Flora of Oaxaca Terrestrial orchids