Oeceoclades furcata

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Oeceoclades furcata
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Monocots
Order: Asparagales
Family: Orchidaceae
Subfamily: Epidendroideae
Tribe: Cymbidieae
Subtribe: Eulophiinae
Genus: Oeceoclades
Species:O. furcata
Binomial name
Oeceoclades furcata
Bosser & Morat

Oeceoclades furcata is a terrestrial orchid species in the genus Oeceoclades that is endemic to northwestern Madagascar, [1] where it grows in sandy soils. It was first described by the French botanists Jean Marie Bosser and Philippe Morat in 2001. The type specimen was collected in 1943 by the French botanist Raymond Decary from the Soalala District; this is the only known specimen of the species. The specific epithet furcata refers to the distinctive forked floral spur. [2]

<i>Oeceoclades</i> genus of plants

Oeceoclades, collectively known as the monk orchids, is a genus of flowering plants from the orchid family, Orchidaceae. It is related to Eulophia and like that genus is mostly terrestrial in habit. A few species extend into very arid environments, unusual for an orchid.

Endemism Ecological state of being unique to a defined geographic location or habitat

Endemism is the ecological state of a species being unique to a defined geographic location, such as an island, nation, country or other defined zone, or habitat type; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsewhere. The extreme opposite of endemism is cosmopolitan distribution. An alternative term for a species that is endemic is precinctive, which applies to species that are restricted to a defined geographical area.

Madagascar island nation off the coast of Southeast Africa, in the Indian Ocean

Madagascar, officially the Republic of Madagascar, and previously known as the Malagasy Republic, is an island country in the Indian Ocean, approximately 400 kilometres off the coast of East Africa. The nation comprises the island of Madagascar and numerous smaller peripheral islands. Following the prehistoric breakup of the supercontinent Gondwana, Madagascar split from the Indian subcontinent around 88 million years ago, allowing native plants and animals to evolve in relative isolation. Consequently, Madagascar is a biodiversity hotspot; over 90% of its wildlife is found nowhere else on Earth. The island's diverse ecosystems and unique wildlife are threatened by the encroachment of the rapidly growing human population and other environmental threats.

Description

The conical pseudobulbs are 1–2 cm (0.39–0.79 in) high and heteroblastic (derived from a single internode). The ovate to wedge shaped leaves are 4–5.5 cm (1.6–2.2 in) long by 2–2.5 cm (0.79–0.98 in) wide with smooth margins that can become wavy. There is a single leathery leaf on each pseudobulb with a 0.8–1.3 cm (0.31–0.51 in) long petiole with a joint near the base of the leaf blade. Inflorescences are up to 60 cm (24 in) long with two to three sheathing, overlapping bracts at the base of the peduncle. The inflorescence is a simple raceme with about 15 widely spaced yellowish-white flowers with wine-colored spots. The sepals are 7–8 mm (0.28–0.31 in) long by 2–2.5 mm (0.079–0.098 in) wide and petals are slightly shorter than the sepals. The labellum is four-lobed and has a 4–5 mm (0.16–0.20 in) long spur that is bent backwards and forked at the apex. [2]

Pseudobulb

The pseudobulb is a storage organ found in many epiphytic and terrestrial sympodial orchids. It is derived from a thickening of the part of a stem between leaf nodes and may be composed of just one internode or several, termed heteroblastic and homoblastic respectively. All leaves and inflorescences usually arise from this structure. Pseudobulbs formed from a single internode produce the leaves and inflorescence from the top, while those that are formed from several internodes can possess leaves along its length. The modified sheath leaves that appear at the base of a pseudobulb and often enfold all or part of it are usually dry and papery, though in some orchids the sheaths bear leaf blades and the leaves at the pseudobulb's apex are reduced to scales.

Petiole (botany)

In botany, the petiole is the stalk that attaches the leaf blade to the stem. Outgrowths appearing on each side of the petiole in some species are called stipules. Leaves lacking a petiole are called sessile or epetiolate.

Inflorescence Term used in botany to describe a cluster of flowers

An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed. The modifications can involve the length and the nature of the internodes and the phyllotaxis, as well as variations in the proportions, compressions, swellings, adnations, connations and reduction of main and secondary axes. Inflorescence can also be defined as the reproductive portion of a plant that bears a cluster of flowers in a specific pattern.

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Oeceoclades ambrensis is a terrestrial orchid species in the genus Oeceoclades that is endemic to northern Madagascar, where it grows in humid forests at altitudes of 1,000–1,100 metres (3,300–3,600 ft). It was first described by the French botanist Joseph Marie Henry Alfred Perrier de la Bâthie in 1951 as Lissochilus ambrensis and moved to the genus Eulophia in 1975 by Friedhelm Reinhold Butzin. It was last transferred to the genus Oeceoclades in 2001 by Jean Marie Bosser and Philippe Morat. The type specimen was collected in 1924 from montagne d'Ambre, now a part of Amber Mountain National Park. The pseudobulbs are fusiform (spindle-shaped) and homoblastic. Oeceoclades ambrensis is most similar to O. pulchra but it differs in the structure of the labellum, having rounded lobes.

Oeceoclades flavescens is a terrestrial orchid species in the genus Oeceoclades that is endemic to northeastern Madagascar. It was first described by the French botanists Jean Marie Bosser and Philippe Morat in 2001. The type specimen was collected in 1954 from the wet undergrowth of a coastal forest near Maroantsetra; it is the only known collection of this species. The specific epithet flavescens refers to the pale yellow flowers.

Oeceoclades humbertii is a terrestrial orchid species in the genus Oeceoclades that is endemic to southeastern Madagascar, where it grows in xerophilous bush at altitudes from 500 to 600 m. It was first described by the French botanist Joseph Marie Henry Alfred Perrier de la Bâthie in 1939 as Lissochilus humbertii and moved to the genus Eulophia in 1975 by Friedhelm Reinhold Butzin. It was last transferred to the genus Oeceoclades in 2001 by Jean Marie Bosser and Philippe Morat. The type specimen was collected from the left bank of the Manambolo valley in the Mandrare River basin in either December 1933 or January 1934 when it was recorded as flowering by its collector Jean-Henri Humbert for whom the specific epithet humbertii honors. The small pseudobulbs are conical and heteroblastic. Oeceoclades humbertii is distinguished from all other Oeceoclades by its completely green flowers. It has only been collected twice including the type specimen; the other specimen was collected by Philippe Morat in 1973 from the Onilahy valley in the Ankazoabo gorges north of Betioky.

Oeceoclades longebracteata is a species of terrestrial orchid in the genus Oeceoclades that is endemic to southwestern and south-central Madagascar. It was first described by the French botanists Jean Marie Bosser and Philippe Morat in 2001. The type specimen was collected in 1970 by Jean Marie Bosser from dry forest undergrowth near Tsaramasao, 20 km (12 mi) south of Sakaraha. The specific epithet longebracteata refers to the long bracts found along the inflorescence.

Oeceoclades peyrotii is a species of terrestrial orchid in the genus Oeceoclades that is endemic to southwestern Madagascar. It was first described by the French botanists Jean Marie Bosser and Philippe Morat in 2001. The type specimen was collected in 1974 by Bosser and Morat from the woods near Ankazoabo, but it has also been found 40 km (25 mi) south of Sakaraha, near Mahaboboka, and near Morombe. The specific epithet peyrotii was given to this species in honor of Dr. Jean-Pierre Peyrot whose observations and collections have led to a better understanding of Malagasy orchids.

Pterostylis furcata, commonly known as the forked greenhood, is a species of orchid endemic to Tasmania. Flowering plants have a rosette of bright green leaves at the base of the flowering stem and a single green and white flower with the tip of the dorsal sepal pointing above the horizontal.

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