Genus Aphyllorchis
Aphyllorchis Blume, Tab. Pl. Jav. Orchid. (1825) f. 77
Synonyms:
Leafless sympodial terrestrial plants with underground rhizome. Inflorescence a few- to many-flowered raceme. Flowers small to medium-sized, resupinate, often whitish with violet markings. Sepals free. Petals free, fairly similar to the lateral sepals. Lip without spur, not mobile, divided into a concave basal part with side-lobes, and a flat apical part, which is more or less clearly 3-lobed. Column-foot absent. Pollinia 2, mealy, caudicles present, stipe absent, viscidium absent.
Sri Lanka, Southeast Asia, Taiwan, Japan, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea, Australia. About 15 species; in New Guinea 4 species.
Terrestrial in deep humus in lowland and montane forest.
- Subfamily Epidendroideae
- Tribe Neottieae
- Genus Aphyllorchis
One of several leafless terrestrial orchid genera that are often called 'saprophytes', although they are in fact heteromycotrophic, parasites on fungi. Species of these genera have little or no chlorophyll, consequently the plants are whitish, brownish, or purplish instead of green. Aphyllorchis is characterised by the structure of the lip, which consists of a strongly concave hypochile with lateral lobes and a flat, more or less 3-lobed epichile. It is not in cultivation and would probably be very difficult to cultivate outside a laboratory.
Aphyllorchis in New Guinea is present with 4 species:
Aphyllorchis arfakensis
Aphyllorchis exilis
Aphyllorchis montana
Aphyllorchis pallida
Sponsored Ads
Genus Aphyllorchis
Aphyllorchis montana Rchb.f., photo Ed de Vogel, plant in situ, flowers, various views, from Papua New Guinea, East New Britain Province, Baining Mountains, alt. c. 1000 m,
Genus Aphyllorchis
Aphyllorchis montana Rchb.f., photo Ed de Vogel, plant in situ, from Papua New Guinea, East New Britain Province, Baining Mountains, alt. c. 1000 m,
Genus Aphyllorchis
Aphyllorchis montana Aphyllorchis montana Rchb.f. Aphyllorchis elata Schltr., drawing N.H.S. Howcroft 42, from Bulolo