''Phaius'', commonly known as swamp orchids or in Chinese as 鶴頂蘭屬/鹤顶兰属 (he ding lan shu), is a genus of forty-five species of flowering plants in the orchid family, Orchidaceae. They are evergreen, 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 ...

which form clumps with crowded, sometimes stem-like pseudobulbs, large, pleated leaves and relatively large, often colourful flowers. Species in this genus are found in the tropical parts of Africa, Asia, Southeast Asia, New Guinea,

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 ...

, and various islands of the Pacific and Indian Oceans. One species is also naturalized in Hawaii, Florida, and 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 ...

.Biota of North America Program, county distribution map
/ref>

Description

Orchids in the genus ''Phaius'' are evergreen, terrestrial, sympodial herbs with thin underground

rhizome 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 ...

s and crowded above ground, sometimes stem-like pseudobulbs. There are several pleated, stalked leaves emerging from the pseudobulb. The flower stalk is unbranched and bears a few to many moderately large,

resupinate Resupination is derived from the Latin word ''resupinus'', meaning "bent back with the face upward" or "on the back". "Resupination" is the noun form of the adjective "resupine" which means "being upside-down, supine or facing upward". The word " ...

, often colourful flowers. 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 similar in size and shape and the labellum has three lobes and a shallow pouch near its base.

Taxonomy and naming

The genus ''Phaius'' was first formally described in 1790 by João de Loureiro and the description was published in his book ''Flora Cochinchinensis''. 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 ...

(''Phaius'') is derived from the Ancient Greek word ''phaios'' meaning "dusky" or "brown", referring to the brownish colour of the flowers of many species in this genus.

List of species

The following is a list of ''Phaius'' species recognised by the World Checklist of Selected Plant Families as at October 2018: *''

Phaius amboinensis ''Phaius amboinensis'', commonly known as Arnhem Land swamp orchid, is a plant in the orchid family and is native to areas from Malesia through to New Guinea, Australia and islands in the Pacific Ocean. It is an evergreen, terrestrial herb with ...

'' Blume (1856) *''

Phaius baconii ''Phaius'', commonly known as swamp orchids or in Chinese as 鶴頂蘭屬/鹤顶兰属 (he ding lan shu), is a genus of forty-five species of flowering plants in the orchid family, Orchidaceae. They are evergreen, terrestrial herbs which form c ...

'' J.J.Wood &

Shim Shim may refer to: * Shim (spacer), a thin and often tapered or wedged piece of material ** CPU shim, a spacer for a computer heat sink ** Shim (fencing), a device used in the sport fencing ** Shim (lock pick), a tool used to bypass padlocks * Sh ...

(1994) *''

Phaius borneensis ''Phaius borneensis'' is a species of orchid in the genus '' Phaius''. It is native to the Islands of Borneo, Palawan and Mindoro Mindoro is the seventh largest and eighth-most populous island in the Philippines. With a total land area of ...

J.J.Sm. Johannes Jacobus Smith (Antwerp 29 June 1867 – Oegstgeest 14 January 1947) (sometimes written as Joannes Jacobus Smith) was a Dutch Botany, botanist who, between years 1905 to 1924, crossed the islands of the Dutch East Indies (mainly Java (isl ...

(1903) *''

Phaius callosus ''Phaius'', commonly known as swamp orchids or in Chinese as 鶴頂蘭屬/鹤顶兰属 (he ding lan shu), is a genus of forty-five species of flowering plants in the orchid family, Orchidaceae. They are evergreen, terrestrial herbs which form c ...

'' (Blume) Lindl. (1831) *''

Phaius columnaris ''Phaius'', commonly known as swamp orchids or in Chinese as 鶴頂蘭屬/鹤顶兰属 (he ding lan shu), is a genus of forty-five species of flowering plants in the orchid family, Orchidaceae. They are evergreen, terrestrial herbs which form cl ...

'' C.Z.Tang & S.J.Chen (1985) *''

Phaius cooperi ''Phaius'', commonly known as swamp orchids or in Chinese as 鶴頂蘭屬/鹤顶兰属 (he ding lan shu), is a genus of forty-five species of flowering plants in the orchid family, Orchidaceae. They are evergreen, terrestrial herbs which form c ...

'' Rolfe (1858) *''

Phaius corymbioides ''Phaius'', commonly known as swamp orchids or in Chinese as 鶴頂蘭屬/鹤顶兰属 (he ding lan shu), is a genus of forty-five species of flowering plants in the orchid family, Orchidaceae. They are evergreen, terrestrial herbs which form c ...

Schltr. Friedrich Richard Rudolf Schlechter (16 October 1872 – 16 November 1925) was a German taxonomist, botanist, and author of several works on orchids. He went on botanical expeditions in Africa, Indonesia, New Guinea, South and Central America a ...

(1911) *''

Phaius daenikeri ''Phaius'', commonly known as swamp orchids or in Chinese as 鶴頂蘭屬/鹤顶兰属 (he ding lan shu), is a genus of forty-five species of flowering plants in the orchid family, Orchidaceae. They are evergreen, terrestrial herbs which form cl ...

Kraenzl. Friedrich (Fritz) Wilhelm Ludwig Kränzlin (25 July 1847 – 9 March 1934) was a botanist associated with the Natural History Museum, London, Natural History Museum (BM). In the history of the European study of South African orchids, Fritz Krä ...

(1929) *'' Phaius ecalcaratus'' J.J.Sm., (1911) *''

Phaius flavus ''Phaius flavus'' is a species of orchid in the genus ''Phaius'' described by John Lindley in 1831. It is widespread across much of Asia (China, Japan, India, Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines, etc.) as well as New Guinea, New Caledonia, Samoa ...

'' (Blume) Lindl., (1831) *''

Phaius fragilis ''Phaius fragilis'' is a species of orchid in the genus ''Phaius'' endemic to the Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Repu ...

L.O.Williams Louis Otho (Otto) Williams (1908-1991) was a botanist from Wyoming. He received his BA and MA from the University of Wyoming then a PhD from Washington University in St. Louis. He went on to be editor of the '' American Orchid Society Bulletin''. Wh ...

(1938) *'' Phaius grandiflorus'' ( Nadeaud)

Govaerts Govaerts/Govaert is a Flemish or Dutch surname. Notable people with the surname include: *Abraham Govaerts (1589–1626), Flemish painter *Benny Govaerts, Belgian Paralympian athlete *Hendrick Govaerts (1669-1720), Flemish painter *Jacqueline Govaer ...

(2011) *''

Phaius gratus ''Phaius'', commonly known as swamp orchids or in Chinese as 鶴頂蘭屬/鹤顶兰属 (he ding lan shu), is a genus of forty-five species of flowering plants in the orchid family, Orchidaceae. They are evergreen, Terrestrial plant, terrestrial ...

'' Blume (1856) *''

Phaius hainanensis ''Phaius'', commonly known as swamp orchids or in Chinese as 鶴頂蘭屬/鹤顶兰属 (he ding lan shu), is a genus of forty-five species of flowering plants in the orchid family, Orchidaceae. They are evergreen, terrestrial herbs which form cl ...

'' C.Z.Tang & S.J.Chen (1982) *''

Phaius hekouensis ''Phaius'', commonly known as swamp orchids or in Chinese as 鶴頂蘭屬/鹤顶兰属 (he ding lan shu), is a genus of forty-five species of flowering plants in the orchid family, Orchidaceae. They are evergreen, Terrestrial plant, terrestrial ...

'' Tsukaya, M.Nakaj. & S.K.Wu (2010) *''

Phaius indigoferus ''Phaius'', commonly known as swamp orchids or in Chinese as 鶴頂蘭屬/鹤顶兰属 (he ding lan shu), is a genus of forty-five species of flowering plants in the orchid family, Orchidaceae. They are evergreen, terrestrial herbs which form c ...

Hassk. Justus Carl Hasskarl (6 December 1811 – 5 January 1894) was a German explorer and botanist specializing in Pteridophytes, Bryophytes and Spermatophytes. He was co-founder of the Society of Natural Curiosities of India, in Bavaria and spent his ...

(1842) *'' Phaius indochinensis'' Seidenf. & Ormerod (1995) *'' Phaius labiatus'' J.J.Sm. (1920) *'' Phaius landyae'' P.J.Cribb & J.V.Stone (2017) *'' Phaius leonidii'' P.J.Cribb & J.V.Stone (2017) *''

Phaius longicornu ''Phaius'', commonly known as swamp orchids or in Chinese as 鶴頂蘭屬/鹤顶兰属 (he ding lan shu), is a genus of forty-five species of flowering plants in the orchid family, Orchidaceae. They are evergreen, Terrestrial plant, terrestrial ...

'' Guillaumin (1957) *''

Phaius luridus ''Phaius'', commonly known as swamp orchids or in Chinese as 鶴頂蘭屬/鹤顶兰属 (he ding lan shu), is a genus of forty-five species of flowering plants in the orchid family, Orchidaceae. They are evergreen, terrestrial herbs which form c ...

'' Thwaites (1861) *'' Phaius lyonii'' Ames (1915) *''

Phaius mannii ''Phaius'', commonly known as swamp orchids or in Chinese as 鶴頂蘭屬/鹤顶兰属 (he ding lan shu), is a genus of forty-five species of flowering plants in the orchid family, Orchidaceae. They are evergreen, terrestrial herbs which form cl ...

Rchb.f. Heinrich Gustav Reichenbach (Dresden, 3 January 1823 – Hamburg, 6 May 1889) was a botanist and the foremost German orchidologist of the 19th century. His father Heinrich Gottlieb Ludwig Reichenbach (author of ''Icones Florae Germanicae et Helve ...

(1881) *''

Phaius mishmensis ''Phaius'', commonly known as swamp orchids or in Chinese as 鶴頂蘭屬/鹤顶兰属 (he ding lan shu), is a genus of forty-five species of flowering plants in the orchid family, Orchidaceae. They are evergreen, terrestrial herbs which form c ...

'' (Lindl. & Paxton) Rchb.f. (1857) *'' Phaius montanus'' Schltr. (1912) *''

Phaius nanus ''Phaius'', commonly known as swamp orchids or in Chinese as 鶴頂蘭屬/鹤顶兰属 (he ding lan shu), is a genus of forty-five species of flowering plants in the orchid family, Orchidaceae. They are evergreen, terrestrial herbs which form c ...

Hook.f. Sir Joseph Dalton Hooker (30 June 1817 – 10 December 1911) was a British botanist and explorer in the 19th century. He was a founder of geographical botany and Charles Darwin's closest friend. For twenty years he served as director of t ...

(1890) *''

Phaius occidentalis ''Phaius'', commonly known as swamp orchids or in Chinese as 鶴頂蘭屬/鹤顶兰属 (he ding lan shu), is a genus of forty-five species of flowering plants in the orchid family, Orchidaceae. They are evergreen, Terrestrial plant, terrestrial ...

'' Schltr. (1903) *''

Phaius pauciflorus ''Phaius'', commonly known as swamp orchids or in Chinese as 鶴頂蘭屬/鹤顶兰属 (he ding lan shu), is a genus of forty-five species of flowering plants in the orchid family, Orchidaceae. They are evergreen, terrestrial herbs which form c ...

'' (Blume) Blume (1856) **''Phaius pauciflorus var. pallidus'' (

Ridl. Henry Nicholas Ridley CMG (1911), MA (Oxon), FRS, FLS, F.R.H.S. (10 December 1855 – 24 October 1956) was an English botanist, geologist and naturalist who lived much of his life in Singapore. He was instrumental in promoting rubber trees ...

)

Holttum Richard Eric Holttum (20 July 189518 September 1990) was an English botanist and writer. Early life Holttum was born 20 July 1895 in Cambridgeshire, England, to English store owners of Quaker faith. He was educated at Bootham School, York. He s ...

(1947) **''Phaius pauciflorus subsp. pauciflorus'' **''Phaius pauciflorus var. punctatus'' (Lindl.) J.J.Sm. (1920) **''Phaius pauciflorus subsp. sabahensis'' J.J.Wood & A.L.Lamb (1993) **''Phaius pauciflorus var. sumatranus'' J.J.Sm. (1920) *''

Phaius philippinensis ''Phaius philippinensis'' is a species of orchid in the genus ''Phaius'' that was described by N. E. Brown Nicholas Edward Brown (11 July 1849 in Redhill, Surrey – 25 November 1934 in Kew Gardens, London) was an English plant taxonomist ...

N.E.Br. Nicholas Edward Brown (11 July 1849 in Redhill, Surrey – 25 November 1934 in Kew Gardens, London) was an English plant taxonomist and authority on succulents. He was also an authority on several families of plants, including Asclepiadacea ...

(1889) *''

Phaius pictus ''Phaius robertsii'', commonly known as forest swamp orchid, is a plant in the orchid family and is native to a small area of Tropical North Queensland and to New Caledonia. It is an evergreen, terrestrial herb with above-ground stems, three to ...

'' T.E.Hunt (1952) (accepted by

Council of Heads of Australasian Herbaria Council of Heads of Australasian Herbaria (CHAH) is an association of the leaders of herbaria in Australia and New Zealand. It is governed by a constitution. It endorses the taxonomy and nomenclature of the Australian Plant Census, which is the so ...

) *''

Phaius pulchellus ''Phaius'', commonly known as swamp orchids or in Chinese as 鶴頂蘭屬/鹤顶兰属 (he ding lan shu), is a genus of forty-five species of flowering plants in the orchid family, Orchidaceae. They are evergreen, terrestrial herbs which form c ...

'' Kraenzl. (1882) **''Phaius pulchellus var. ambrensis''

Bosser Bosser is a surname. It derives from ''bosser'', a Breton word meaning "butcher". Notable people with the surname include: *Jean Marie Bosser (1922–2013), French botanist * Jean-Pierre Bosser (born 1959), French army general * Jean-Pierre Bosser ...

(1971) **''Phaius pulchellus var. andrambovatensis'' Bosser (1971) **''Phaius pulchellus var. pulchellus'' **''Phaius pulchellus var. sandrangatensis'' Bosser (1971) *''

Phaius reflexipetalus ''Phaius'', commonly known as swamp orchids or in Chinese as 鶴頂蘭屬/鹤顶兰属 (he ding lan shu), is a genus of forty-five species of flowering plants in the orchid family, Orchidaceae. They are evergreen, terrestrial herbs which form c ...

'' J.J.Wood & Shim (1994) *''

Phaius robertsii ''Phaius robertsii'', commonly known as forest swamp orchid, is a plant in the orchid family and is native to a small area of Tropical North Queensland and to New Caledonia. It is an evergreen, terrestrial herb with above-ground stems, three to ...

'' F.Muell. (1883) *''

Phaius sinensis ''Phaius tankervilleae'', commonly known as the greater swamp-orchid, swamp lily, swamp orchid, nun's-hood orchid, nun's orchid, veiled orchid, Lady Tankerville's swamp orchid or 鹤顶兰 (he ding lan), is a species of orchid native to areas fr ...

'' Rolfe (1913) *'' Phaius stenocentron'' Schltr. (1911) *'' Phaius subtrilobus'' Ames &

C.Schweinf. Charles Schweinfurth (April 13, 1890 – November 16, 1970) was an American botanist and plant collector who distinguished himself by his studies on orchids. He predominantly collected species from Peru which he described in his four volume refer ...

(1920) *''

Phaius takeoi ''Phaius'', commonly known as swamp orchids or in Chinese as 鶴頂蘭屬/鹤顶兰属 (he ding lan shu), is a genus of forty-five species of flowering plants in the orchid family, Orchidaceae. They are evergreen, terrestrial herbs which form cl ...

'' ( Hayata) H.J.Su (1989) *''

Phaius tanjiewhoei ''Phaius'', commonly known as swamp orchids or in Chinese as 鶴頂蘭屬/鹤顶兰属 (he ding lan shu), is a genus of forty-five species of flowering plants in the orchid family, Orchidaceae. They are evergreen, terrestrial herbs which form cl ...

'' P.J.Cribb, J.V.Stone & P.O'Byrne (2017) *''

Phaius tankervilleae ''Phaius tankervilleae'', commonly known as the greater swamp-orchid, swamp lily, swamp orchid, nun's-hood orchid, nun's orchid, veiled orchid, Lady Tankerville's swamp orchid or 鹤顶兰 (he ding lan), is a species of orchid native to areas fr ...

'' ( Banks ex L'Hér.) Blume (1856) **''Phaius tankervilleae'' var. ''antoninae'' ( P.Balzer) J.V.Stone & P.J.Cribb (2017) ** ''Phaius tankervilleae'' var. ''australis'' (

F.Muell. Baron Sir Ferdinand Jacob Heinrich von Mueller, (german: Müller; 30 June 1825 – 10 October 1896) was a German-Australian physician, geographer, and most notably, a botanist. He was appointed government botanist for the then colony of Victo ...

) J.V.Stone & P.J.Cribb (2017) **''Phaius tankervilleae'' var. ''baolocensis'' ( Duy, Tao Chen & D.X.Zhang) J.V.Stone & P.J.Cribb (2017) ** ''Phaius tankervilleae'' var. ''bernaysii'' (F.Muell. ex

) J.V.Stone & P.J.Cribb (2017) **''Phaius tankervilleae'' var. ''devogelii'' J.V.Stone & P.J.Cribb (2017) **''Phaius tankervilleae'' var. ''tankervilleae'' *'' Phaius tenuis'' Rchb.f. (1857) *''

Phaius tetragonus ''Phaius'', commonly known as swamp orchids or in Chinese as 鶴頂蘭屬/鹤顶兰属 (he ding lan shu), is a genus of forty-five species of flowering plants in the orchid family, Orchidaceae. They are evergreen, terrestrial herbs which form cl ...

'' (Thouars) Rchb.f. (1855) *''

Phaius tonkinensis ''Phaius'', commonly known as swamp orchids or in Chinese as 鶴頂蘭屬/鹤顶兰属 (he ding lan shu), is a genus of forty-five species of flowering plants in the orchid family, Orchidaceae. They are evergreen, terrestrial herbs which form c ...

'' (Aver.) (2005) *''

Phaius trichoneurus ''Phaius'', commonly known as swamp orchids or in Chinese as 鶴頂蘭屬/鹤顶兰属 (he ding lan shu), is a genus of forty-five species of flowering plants in the orchid family, Orchidaceae. They are evergreen, terrestrial herbs which form c ...

'' Schltr. (1925) *''

Phaius wallichii ''Phaius'', commonly known as swamp orchids or in Chinese as 鶴頂蘭屬/鹤顶兰属 (he ding lan shu), is a genus of forty-five species of flowering plants in the orchid family, Orchidaceae. They are evergreen, terrestrial herbs which form c ...

'' Lindl. (1831) *''

Phaius wenshanensis ''Phaius'', commonly known as swamp orchids or in Chinese as 鶴頂蘭屬/鹤顶兰属 (he ding lan shu), is a genus of forty-five species of flowering plants in the orchid family, Orchidaceae. They are evergreen, terrestrial herbs which form cl ...

'' F.Y.Liu (1991)

Distribution

Orchids in the genus ''Phaius'' are found in tropical Africa, India, tropical and

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 ...

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 ...

, Malaysia, the Philippines, Indonesia, New Guinea,

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 ...

, Polynesia and Australia. Nine species, four of which are endemic, occur in China and three species including two endemics are found in

. The Australian species are found in Queensland, the Northern Territory and New South Wales.

References

External links

* * {{Taxonbar, from=Q2719951 Collabieae genera