''Geosiris aphylla'' is a

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 ...

in the flowering plant family

Iridaceae Iridaceae is a family of plants in order Asparagales, taking its name from the irises, meaning rainbow, referring to its many colours. There are 66 accepted genera with a total of c. 2244 species worldwide (Christenhusz & Byng 2016). It include ...

, first described in 1894. It is

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 ...

Madagascar Madagascar (; mg, Madagasikara, ), officially the Republic of Madagascar ( mg, Repoblikan'i Madagasikara, links=no, ; french: République de Madagascar), is an island country in the Indian Ocean, approximately off the coast of East Africa ...

. ''Geosiris aphylla'' is sometimes called the earth-iris. It is a small myco-heterotroph lacking

chlorophyll Chlorophyll (also chlorophyl) is any of several related green pigments found in cyanobacteria and in the chloroplasts of algae and plants. Its name is derived from the Greek words , ("pale green") and , ("leaf"). Chlorophyll allow plants to a ...

and obtaining its nutrients from fungi in the soil.

Description

Its

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 are slender and scaly, and stems are simple or branched. The leaves are alternate, but having no use, are reduced and scale-like (hence the epithet "''aphylla''," meaning "without leaves"). The flowers are light purple.

Range and habitat

''Geosiris aphylla'' is native to central and eastern Madagascar. It lives in forest

humus In classical soil science, humus is the dark organic matter in soil that is formed by the decomposition of plant and animal matter. It is a kind of soil organic matter. It is rich in nutrients and retains moisture in the soil. Humus is the Lati ...

in humid lowland and

montane forests Montane ecosystems are found on the slopes of mountains. The alpine climate in these regions strongly affects the ecosystem because temperatures fall as elevation increases, causing the ecosystem to stratify. This stratification is a crucial f ...

, between 400 and 1200 meters elevation.Jonker, F.P. (1939). "Les Géosiridacées, une nouvelle famille de Madagascar". ''Mededelingen van het Botanisch Museum en Herbarium van de Rijksuniversiteit te Utrecht'', vol. 60 no. 1, pp. 473-479. 1 January 1939.

References

External links

Missouri Botanical Garden photo of ''Geosiris'' flowers

Iridaceae Parasitic plants Endemic flora of Madagascar Flora of the Madagascar lowland forests Flora of the Madagascar subhumid forests Plants described in 1894 Taxa named by Henri Ernest Baillon {{iridaceae-stub