A and B Larsen orchids - Sarcochilus fitzgeraldii DSCN8618 - cropped

Sarcochilus hirticalcar (6475017173) - cropped

''Sarcochilus'', commonly known as butterfly orchids or fairy bells 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 about twenty species of

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...

s in the orchid

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 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 ...

. Most species are

epiphyte 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 ...

s but a few species only grow on rocks or in leaf litter. Orchids in this genus usually have short stems, leaves arranged in two rows and flowers arranged along unbranched flowering stems. Most species are

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

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 ...

but some are found in

New Guinea New Guinea (; Hiri Motu Hiri Motu, also known as Police Motu, Pidgin Motu, or just Hiri, is a language of Papua New Guinea, which is spoken in surrounding areas of Port Moresby (Capital of Papua New Guinea). It is a simplified version of ...

and

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 ...

Description

Orchids in the genus ''Sarcochilus'' are epiphytic or lithophytic

monopodial Vascular plants with monopodial growth habits grow upward from a single point. They add leaves to the apex each year and the stem grows longer accordingly. The word ''Monopodial'' is derived from Greek "mono-", ''one'' and "podial", "foot", in refe ...

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 ...

with fibrous stems and long, relatively broad leaves folded lengthwise and arranged in two ranks. The flowers are scented,

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 " ...

and arranged on an unbranched flowering stem, each flower on a short thin stalk. The

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 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 except that the petals are usually smaller than the sepals. The labellum is hinged to 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. ...

and has three lobes. The sides lobes are relatively large and upright, sometimes curving inwards. The structure of the middle lobe varies between species.

Taxonomy and naming

The genus ''Sarcochilus'' was first formally described in 1810 by Robert Brown and the description was published in ''

Prodromus Florae Novae Hollandiae et Insulae Van Diemen ''Prodromus Florae Novae Hollandiae et Insulae Van Diemen'' (Prodromus of the Flora of New Holland and Van Diemen's Land) is a flora of Australia written by botanist Robert Brown and published in 1810. Often referred to as ''Prodromus Flora Novae ...

''. The name ''Sarcochilus'' is derived from the

Ancient Greek Ancient Greek includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Dark Ages (), the Archaic peri ...

words ''sarx'' meaning "flesh" and ''cheilos'' meaning "lip", referring to the fleshy labellum of these orchids. The genus ''Sarcochilus'' has been shown to be non-monophyletic.

Species

The following is a list of ''Sarcochilus'' species recognised by the

World Checklist of Selected Plant Families The World Checklist of Selected Plant Families (usually abbreviated to WCSP) is an "international collaborative programme that provides the latest peer reviewed and published opinions on the accepted scientific names and synonyms of selected plan ...

as at December 2018. The common names in the list below are those used by David Jones. *'' Sarcochilus argochilus''

D.L.Jones David Lloyd Jones (born 1944) is an Australians, Australian horticultural botanist and the author of many books and papers, especially on Australian orchids. Jones was born in Victoria (Australia), Victoria and in his youth was a student at Burnl ...

& M.A.Clem., 2006 northern lawyer orchid *'' Sarcochilus australis'' (

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 ...

)

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 ...

in Walp., 1863 butterfly orchid, Gunn's tree orchid *'' Sarcochilus borealis'' ( Nicholls) D.L.Jones & M.A.Clem., 1989 small lawyer orchid *'' Sarcochilus ceciliae''

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 Vic ...

, 1865 fairy bells *'' Sarcochilus chrysanthus''

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 ...

, 1913 (New Guinea) *'' Sarcochilus dilatatus'' F.Muell., 1859 brown butterfly orchid *''

Sarcochilus falcatus ''Sarcochilus falcatus'', commonly known as the orange blossom orchid, is a small epiphytic or lithophytic orchid that is endemic to eastern Australia. It has up to eight, leathery leaves with fine teeth on the edges and up to twelve white to ...

'' R.Br., 1810 orange blossom orchid *''

Sarcochilus fitzgeraldii ''Sarcochilus fitzgeraldii'', commonly known as the ravine orchid, is a lithophytic orchid endemic to eastern Australia. It forms large clumps with between four and eight dark green, linear leaves and up to fifteen white flowers with crimson sp ...

'' F.Muell., 1870 ravine orchid *'' Sarcochilus gildasii'' N.Hallé, 1986 (New Caledonia) *'' Sarcochilus hartmannii'' F.Muell., 1874 large boulder orchid *'' Sarcochilus hillii'' (F.Muell.) F.Muell, 1860 myrtle bells **''Sarcochilus hillii'' var. ''hillii''. **''Sarcochilus hillii'' var. ''thycola'' N.Hallé, 1986 *'' Sarcochilus hirticalcar'' ( Dockrill) M.A.Clem. & B.J.Wallace, 1998 harlequin orchid *'' Sarcochilus iboensis'' Schltr., 1913 (New Guinea) *'' Sarcochilus koghiensis'' Schltr., 1911 (New Caledonia) *'' Sarcochilus odoratus'' Schltr., 1913 (New Guinea) *'' Sarcochilus parviflorus'' Lindl., 1838 southern lawyer orchid, green tree orchid *'' Sarcochilus rarus'' Schltr., 1906 (New Caledonia) *'' Sarcochilus serrulatus'' D.L.Jones, 1972 banded butterfly orchid *'' Sarcochilus spathulatus''

R.S.Rogers Richard Sanders Rogers (2 December 1861 – 28 March 1942) was a distinguished Australians, Australian medical doctor, and world authority on Australasian orchids. He described over 80 Australian orchid species, three from New Zealand and 30 from ...

, 1927 small butterfly orchid *'' Sarcochilus tricalliatus'' ( Rupp) Rupp, 1951 *'' Sarcochilus uniflorus'' Schltr., 1913 (New Guinea) *'' Sarcochilus weinthalii''

F.M.Bailey Frederick Manson Bailey (8 March 1827 – 25 June 1915) was a botanist active in Australia, who made valuable contributions to the characterisation of the flora of Queensland. He was known by his middle name, Manson. Early life Bailey was b ...

, 1903 blotched butterfly orchid

Hybrids

The species ''S. falcatus'', ''S. fitzgeraldii'' and ''S. hartmannii'' have been hybridized, often with ''S. australis'', producing rounder, cherry-red flowers. A few examples are : S. Fitzhart (hartmannii × fitzgeraldii), S. Heidi (Fitzhart × hartmannii), S. Arcadia (Lois × Fitzhart) and S. George Colthup (Melba × hartmannii).

Intrageneric hybrids include

*× ''Aeridochilus'' (''Aerides'' × ''Sarcochilus'') *× ''Gastrosarcochilus '' (''Gastrochilus'' × ''Sarcochilus'') *× ''Luichilus'' (''Luisia'' × ''Sarcochilus'') *× ''Malcolmcampbellara'' (''Drymoanthus'' × ''Plectorrhiza'' × ''Sarcochilus'') *× ''Parachilus '' (''Parasarcochilus'' × ''Sarcochilus'') *× ''Plectochilus'' (''Plectorrhiza'' × ''Sarcochilus'') *× ''Pomatochilus'' (''Pomatocalpa'' × ''Sarcochilus'') *× ''Porterara '' (''Rhynchostylis'' × ''Sarcochilus'' × ''Vanda'') *× ''Rhinochilus'' (''Rhinerrhiza'' × ''Sarcochilus'') *× ''Sarcocentrum '' (''Ascocentrum '' × ''Sarcochilus'') *× ''Sarcomoanthus'' (''Sarcochilus'' × ''Drymoanthus'') *× ''Sarconopsis'' (''Phalaenopsis'' × ''Sarcochilus'') *× ''Sarcorhiza '' (''Rhinerrhiza '' × ''Sarcochilus'') *× ''Sarcothera'' (''Renanthera'' × ''Sarcochilus'') *× ''Sarcovanda'' (''Sarchilus'' × ''Vanda'') *× ''Sartylis'' (''Rhynchostylis'' × ''Sarcochilus'') *× ''Sladeara'' (''Doritis'' × ''Phalaenopsis'' × ''Sarcochilus'') *× ''Uptonara'' (''Phalaenopsis'' × ''Rhynchostylis'' × ''Sarcochilus'')

Use in horticulture

The term "sarco" is often used to refer to a number of orchid genera, including ''Sarcochilus''. Most species of ''Sarcochilus'' are easily grown but some are very difficult. They need bright light, high humidity and free air movement.

References

External links

* * {{Taxonbar, from=Q2719962 Vandeae genera Epiphytic orchids