Vanilloideae is one of the subfamilies of orchids belonging to the large family
Orchidaceae
Orchids are plants that belong to the family (biology), family Orchidaceae (), a diverse and widespread group of flowering plants with blooms that are often colourful and fragrant. Orchids are cosmopolitan distribution, cosmopolitan plants that ...
.
Lindley (1836) and Garay (1986)
[Garay,L. (1986), Olim Vanillaceae. Botanical Museum Leaflets. Harvard University 30 : 233-237.] treated it as a separate family, Vanillaceae. But their single, incumbent
anther
The stamen (: stamina or stamens) is a part consisting of the male reproductive organs of a flower. Collectively, the stamens form the androecium., p. 10
Morphology and terminology
A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filament ...
and poorly organised
pollinia led to their recognition as at best a subgroup of
monandrous
The stamen (: stamina or stamens) is a part consisting of the male reproductive organs of a flower. Collectively, the stamens form the androecium., p. 10
Morphology and terminology
A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filamen ...
orchids. From a molecular point of view, this
clade
In biology, a clade (), also known as a Monophyly, monophyletic group or natural group, is a group of organisms that is composed of a common ancestor and all of its descendants. Clades are the fundamental unit of cladistics, a modern approach t ...
is rather a sister to subfamily
Epidendroideae
Epidendroideae is a subfamily of plants in the orchid family, Orchidaceae. Epidendroideae is larger than all the other orchid subfamilies together, comprising more than 15,000 species in 576 genera. Most epidendroid orchids are tropical epiphytes ...
and subfamily
Orchidoideae
The Orchidoideae, or the orchidoid orchids, are a subfamily of the orchid family (Orchidaceae) that contains around 3630 species. Species typically have a single (monandrous), fertile anther which is erect and basitonic.
Description
The subfam ...
in the Orchidaceae, and thus it is today also considered a subfamily.
The subfamily Vanilloideae consists of 15 genera and about 180 species, belonging to the tribes Pogonieae and Vanilleae.
Their distribution is pantropical, throughout Asia, Australia and the Americas.
The species in the tribe Pogonieae have a characteristic laciniate lip margin. The color of their
petal
Petals are modified leaves that form an inner whorl surrounding the reproductive parts of flowers. They are often brightly coloured or unusually shaped to attract pollinators. All of the petals of a flower are collectively known as the ''corol ...
s and
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
Etymology
The term ''sepalum'' ...
s is pink or rarely white or bluish. Their sepals have an oblong, elliptic, or narrowly lanceolate form.
The species in the tribe Vanilleae are long plants characterized by long, thick, succulent
vine
A vine is any plant with a growth habit of trailing or scandent (that is, climbing) stems, lianas, or runners. The word ''vine'' can also refer to such stems or runners themselves, for instance, when used in wicker work.Jackson; Benjamin; Da ...
s and a lip without spur.
Classification
Tribe
Pogonieae (77 species)
* Genera : ''
Cleistes'', ''
Cleistesiopsis'', ''
Duckeella'', ''
Isotria'', and ''
Pogonia''
Tribe
Vanilleae (172 species)
* Genera : ''
Clematepistephium'', ''
Cyrtosia'', ''
Epistephium'', ''
Eriaxis'', ''
Erythrorchis'', ''
Galeola'', ''
Lecanorchis'', ''
Pseudovanilla'' and
''Vanilla''.
References
* Pridgeon, Alec M.; Cribb, Phillip J.; Chase, Mark.W; Rasmussen, Finn.N - ''Genera Orchidacearum: Orchidoideae Vanilloideae'' - Oxford University Press 2003 -
{{taxonbar, from=Q133360
Asparagales subfamilies