Orchid Information - Family Orchidaceae Subfamily Epidendroideae Tribe Arethuseae Subtribe Coelogyninae

Coelogyninae Benth., J. Linn. Soc. (Bot.) 18 (1881) 287 (as 'Coelogyneae'). Type genus: Coelogyne Lindl.

Synonyms:

Epiphytes, lithophytes, or rarely terrestrials. herbaceous, glabrous or with trichomes. Rhizomes often well developed. Stems reed-like or pseudobulbs, rarely subterranean corms (Bletilla); reed-like stems fleshy or not, branched or not, sometimes short-lived (Thunia); pseudobulbs consisting of 1 internode, 1- or 2-leaved at the apex, sometimes pseudobulbs superposed (Otochius, Pholidota 2 species), sometimes short-lived (Pleione), when young enveloped in pseudobulb scales; corms consisting of several internodes. Leaves conduplicate or more often convolute, plicate or not, deciduous; when inserted on top of a pseudobulb without a leaf sheath; leaf sheath tubular; petiole often present. lnflorescence usually a few- to many-flowered raceme, rarely a panicle (Dilochia), sometimes reduced to a single flower terminal, proteranthous, synanthous, or hysteranthous, or seemingly lateral but actually heteranthous on reduced shoots that do not develop into normal pseudobulbs and leaves; peduncle a single internode; floral bracts caducous or persistent. Flowers resupinate or not. Ovary glabrous or with indument. Median sepal usually free or all 3 sepals connate (Glomera). Lateral sepals similar to the median sepal but often oblique, rarely connate to each-other, often keeled; mentum not present. Petals free, equally wide as the median sepal or much narrower. Lip usually immobile inserted on the base of the column, sometimes hinged and mobile (mainly in Dendrochilum),sometimes adnate to the column, entire or 3-lobed; hypochile concave or often more or less saccate; sometimes with a distinct tubular spur (Bulleyia, Glomera, Ischnogyne, Thunia); epichile flat or convex; plate-like keels often present, wart-like calli mainly in Coelogyne; base of lip with nectar. Column often apically dilated and winged to hood-like, sometimes with lateral arms (Dendrochilum and Panisea, both p.p.); column foot present or not; anther helmet-shaped, 2-locular; pollinia 4, rarely 8, usually pear-shaped, soft, waxy, with thick, granular or membranous, coherent or connate caudicles; viscidium absent or indistinct, semi-liquid; stigma often cup-shaped with ralsed margins, its upper margin forming a blade-like rostellum. Fruit a capsule, ellipsoid to subglobose, sometimes winged, often opening with 3 valves and 3 jugae.
(after Schuiteman 2005)

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