''Neuwiedia'' is a

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 primitive terrestrial

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 (

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

Orchidaceae), comprising 9

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 ...

native to

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

Southeast Asia Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, south-eastern region of Asia, consistin ...

and certain

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 ...

.Flora of China v 25 p 21, 三蕊兰属 san rui lan shu, Neuwiedia Blume, Nov. Pl. Expos. 12. 1833.
/ref> The two genera in the subfamily '' Apostasioideae'', '' Apostasia'' and ''Neuwiedia'', differ from most other orchids in having three stamens. Recent studies suggest that the fifteen or so species in these two genera, although exhibiting "primitive" features, are "sister" genera rather than ancestors of other orchid families. Like the genus '' Apostasia'' of the same subfamily, this genus is noted for having 3 fertile

stamen 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 filame ...

s instead of only two as in the case of other orchids. Because of this primitive characteristic, the genus was considered by some as not being true orchids. The genus was named by Carl Ludwig von Blume in honor of Prince Maximilian of Wied-Neuwied (1782-1859). The genus is distributed in shaded habitats. They are tall herbs with

rhizomes 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 ...

and grow long, plicate

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 ...

. They produce an unbranched, erect, terminal

inflorescence An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed o ...

bearing usually white or yellow,

nodding A nod of the head is a gesture in which the head is tilted in alternating up and down arcs along the sagittal plane. In many cultures, it is most commonly, but not universally, used to indicate agreement, acceptance, or acknowledgement. To indi ...

flowers.

Species

The following species are recognized as of June 2014: Neuwiedia veratrifolia 1

# '' Neuwiedia borneensis'' de Vogel 1969 - Borneo # '' Neuwiedia elongata'' de Vogel 1969 - Borneo # '' Neuwiedia griffithii'' Rchb.f. 1874 - Vietnam, Malaya, Sumatra # '' Neuwiedia inae'' de Vogel 1969 - Borneo, Vietnam # '' Neuwiedia malipoensis'' Z.J.Liu, L.J.Chen & K.Wei Liu 2012 - Yunnan # '' Neuwiedia siamensis'' de Vogel 1969 -Thailand # '' Neuwiedia veratrifolia'' Blume 1834 - Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, New Guinea, Vanuatu, Solomon Islands # '' Neuwiedia zollingeri'' Rchb.f. 1857 - Hainan, Hong Kong, Yunnan, Borneo, Sumatra, Java, Bali, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam ## ''Neuwiedia zollingeri'' var. ''annamensis'' (Gagnep.) Aver - Vietnam ## ''Neuwiedia zollingeri'' var. ''javanica'' (J.J.Sm.) de Vogel - Vietnam, Borneo, Sumatra, Java, Bali ## ''Neuwiedia zollingeri'' var. ''singapureana'' (Wall. ex Baker) de Vogel - Hainan, Hong Kong, Yunnan, Thailand, Vietnam, Borneo, Sumatra, Malaysia ## ''Neuwiedia zollingeri'' var. ''zollingeri'' - Sumatra, Java

References

* 1993 - ''Apostasiads, systematic anatomy, and the origins of Orchidaceae.'' Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society 111: 411–45 * - ''A phylogenetic analysis of Apostasioideae (Orchidaceae) based on ITS, trnL-F and matK sequences''; Plant Syst. Evol. (2004) * (1999): Genera Orchidacearum Vol.1, Oxford U. Press.

External links

* * {{Taxonbar, from=Q134031 Orchid genera Terrestrial orchids