Aphyllorchis Blume

Pauper orchids (en)

Genus

Angiosperms > Asparagales > Orchidaceae

Characteristics

Herbs, terrestrial, leafless, holomycotrophic. Rhizome short; roots fascicled, spreading, fleshy. Stem erect, fleshy, unbranched, usually pale brown, with loose cymbiform or cylindric sheaths enclosing proximal nodes and scalelike sterile bracts at distal nodes. Inflorescence terminal, racemose, few to many flowered; floral bracts membranous. Flowers resupinate, small to medium-sized, often with long pedicel and ovary. Sepals similar, free, often weakly concave-cymbiform. Petals similar to but shorter and narrower than sepals; lip adnate to base of column, 2-partite; hypochile often winged; epichile hinged at junction with hypochile and often deflexed, entire or lobed. Column arcuate, long, slender; anther borne at anterior margin of clinandrium, suberect, 2-locular; filament extremely short; staminodes 2 (1 on either side of column), apical, white, spotted with silver; pollinia 2, granular-farinaceous, caudicles absent; viscidium large; stigma concave, near apex of column; rostellum very small. Capsule usually pendulous.
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Leafless, terrestrial orchids with an erect, subterranean rootstock with spreading, thick, fleshy, brittle roots. Inflorescence racemose, multiflowered. Peduncle much longer than rachis, wiry or fleshy, pigmented. Flowers opening widely or not, dull-coloured. Sepals and petals free, slender, of similar shape and size, often not spreading widely. Labellum attached to anterior base of column. Labellum lamina usually larger than other tepals, consisting of a basal hypochil, to which is attached a 3-lobed, boat-shaped epichil (one Australian species has a simple unlobed labellum). Column long, slender, narrowly winged, without column foot.
Life form perennial
Growth form herb
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Sexuality hermaphrodite
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Environment

Tropical rainforest floor, sometimes in very shady conditions.
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Hardiness (USDA) 8-12

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Cultivation

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