Galeola

Galeola
Galeola septentrionalis
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Monocots
Order:	Asparagales
Family:	Orchidaceae
Subfamily:	Vanilloideae
Tribe:	Vanilleae
Genus:	Galeola Lour. [1]
Species
See text
Synonyms [2]
PogochilusFalc.

Galeola is a genus of orchids in the family Orchidaceae belonging to the subfamily Vanilloideae. ^{[1] [2] [3]}

All species in this genus are myco-heterotrophic, i.e. they are parasitic upon fungi. The genus is spread throughout southeast Asia (from India to China to New Guinea) as well as Madagascar and Comoros. ^[4]

Galeola is of biological interest because of its exclusive myco-heterotrophic nature and its seeds. The seeds are the biggest orchid seeds in the world. They are winged, which is also extraordinary for an orchid.

Species

At present, there are 6 currently recognized species: ^[4]

• Galeola cathcarthii Hook.f. - Thailand, Myanmar, India (Assam, Sikkim) Bhutan
• Galeola faberi Rolfe - China, Assam, Nepal, Vietnam, Sumatra
• Galeola falconeri Hook.f. - India (Assam), Bhutan, Nepal, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam, China
• Galeola humblotii H.G.Reichb. - Madagascar, Comoros
• Galeola lindleyana (Hook.f. & J.W.Thomson) H.G.Reichb.- Bhutan, China, India (Assam), Sumatra, Vietnam, Nepal, Taiwan
• Galeola nudifolia Lour. (1790) - China, India (Assam), Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Burma, New Guinea

References

1. Loureiro, João de. 1790. Flora Cochinchinensis 2: 520
2. "Galeola Lour". Plants of the World Online. The Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. n.d. Retrieved July 2, 2025.
3. "Galeola Lour". Catalogue of Life. Species 2000. n.d. Retrieved July 2, 2025.
4. Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families

External links

• Media related to Galeola ( category ) at Wikimedia Commons
• Data related to Galeola at Wikispecies