Dipodium

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Hyacinth orchids
Dipodium punctatum fir00002.jpg
Dipodium punctatum
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Asparagales
Family: Orchidaceae
Subfamily: Epidendroideae
Subtribe: Eulophiinae
Genus: Dipodium
R.Br. [1]
Type species
Dipodium punctatum [1]
Species

See text

Synonyms [2]

Dipodium, commonly known as hyacinth orchids, [3] is a genus of about forty species of orchids native to tropical, subtropical and temperate regions of south-east Asia, New Guinea, the Pacific Islands and Australia. It includes both terrestrial and climbing species, some with leaves and some leafless, but all with large, often colourful flowers on tall flowering stems. It is the only genus of its alliance, Dipodium.

Contents

Description

Orchids in the genus Dipodium are perennial, terrestrial herbs or climbers/epiphytes. Many species, particularly in eastern Australia are leafless mycoheterotrophs. Others have medium-sized to very large leaves that are parallel-veined and have entire margins. The flowers are arranged in a raceme with very few or up to fifty large, often colourful flowers. These may be fragrant or odourless, are white, pink, purple, yellow or green, often with spots or blotches. The sepals and petals are free from and similar to each other. The labellum projects forwards and has three lobes with a central band of colourful hairs. Each flower has two pollinia that are supported on two stipes. Dehiscent capsules, produced after flowering, hold the seed which is released when the capsule splits longitudinally along six seams. Between 30 and 500 seeds are produced per capsule. [3] [4] [5] [6]

Taxonomy

The genus was formally described in 1810 by Scottish botanist Robert Brown in Prodromus Florae Novae Hollandiae et Insulae Van Diemen . [1] [7] The name Dipodium is derived the Greek words di (two) and podia (little feet), a reference to the two stipes supporting the pollinia. [8]

Two flowering scapes of a leafless species in south-eastern Australia Dipodium punctatum portrait.jpg
Two flowering scapes of a leafless species in south-eastern Australia

Distribution and habitat

Hyacinth orchids are found in Malaysia, the Philippines, Indonesia, the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, New Caledonia, New Guinea and Australia where eleven species are endemic. They occur in a range of habitats from coastal lowlands to ranges and tablelands. [3] [9]

Ecology

It is thought that the flowers attract native bees and wasps through floral mimicry. [10]

Uses

An infusion of the leaves of Dipodium pandanum is traditionally drunk in Bougainville to help relieve respiratory infections. [11]

Use in horticulture

Leafless hyacinth orchids are impossible to grow in cultivation but D. pandanum is easy to grow in warm climates. [3] :272

Species

The following is a list of described species in the genus Dipodium, recognised by Plants of the World Online [2] apart from Dipodium punctatum which is recognised as a species in Australia (rather than as a synonym of Dipodium squamatum ). [1] [12]

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<i>Corybas</i> (plant) Genus of orchids

Corybas, commonly known as helmet orchids, is a genus of about 120 species of plants in the orchid family, Orchidaceae. Helmet orchids are small, perennial, deciduous herbs and are nearly always terrestrial. They have a single leaf at their base and a single flower on a short stalk, the flower dominated by its large dorsal sepal and labellum. Species of Corybas are found in Australia, New Zealand, New Guinea, Southeast Asia, the Himalayas, southern China, many Pacific islands and a few sub-Antarctic islands.

<i>Acriopsis</i> Genus of orchids

Acriopsis, commonly known as chandelier orchids or 合萼兰属 is a genus of flowering plants in the family Orchidaceaes. Orchids in this genus are epiphytic herbs with spherical or cylindrical pseudobulbs, creeping, branched rhizomes, thin white roots, two or three leaves and many small flowers. The flowers are non-resupinate with the lateral sepals joined along their edges and have spreading petals and a three-lobed labellum. The column has projections that extend hood-like beyond the anther.

<i>Gastrodia</i> Genus of orchids

Gastrodia, commonly known as potato orchids, is a genus of terrestrial leafless orchids in the family Orchidaceae, about ninety of which have been described. Orchids in this genus have fleshy, upright stems and small to medium-sized resupinate flowers with narrow sepals and petals. They are native to Asia, Australia, New Zealand, central Africa, and various islands of the Indian and Pacific Oceans.

<i>Bryobium</i> Genus of orchids

Bryobium, commonly known as urchin orchids or 藓兰属 , is a genus of flowering plants in the family Orchidaceae. Orchids in this genus are epiphytic or lithophytic plants with large, fleshy pseudobulbs, each with up to three leathery leaves and small, often hairy flowers. These orchids are found from tropical Asia to northern Australia.

<i>Pinalia</i> Genus of orchids

Pinalia, commonly known as gremlin orchids, is a genus of flowering plants in the family Orchidaceae. Orchids in this genus are large epiphytic or lithophytic plants with prominent pseudobulbs, each with up to three thin, flat leaves and cup-shaped, relatively short-lived flowers with scale-like brown hairs on the outside. There are about 120 species occurring from tropical to subtropical Asia to the south-west Pacific.

<i>Trichoglottis</i> Genus of orchid

Trichoglottis, commonly known as cherub orchids or 毛舌兰属 , is a genus of flowering plants in the family Orchidaceae. Orchids in this genus are epiphytic plants with thick roots, relatively thick, fibrous stems and many large, thick, leathery leaves arranged in two ranks. The flowers are usually small and yellowish with light brown or purple markings. The flowers have broad sepals, narrower petals and a labellum which has three lobes and is often hairy. There are about 85 species distributed from tropical and subtropical Asia to the north-western Pacific. Most species grow in rainforest.

<i>Dipodium punctatum</i> Species of orchid

Dipodium punctatum, commonly known as the blotched hyacinth-orchid, is a leafless orchid that is a native to eastern and south-eastern continental Australia. In summer it produces a tall flowering stem with up to sixty pale to bright pink flowers with heavy red blotches. A widespread and common species it is often confused with D. roseum and some authorities regard it as a synonym of D. squamatum.

<i>Pholidota</i> (plant) Genus of orchids

Pholidota, commonly known as rattlesnake orchids, is a genus of flowering plants from the orchid family, Orchidaceae. Plants in this genus are clump-forming epiphytes or lithophytes with pseudobulbs, each with a single large leaf and a large number of small, whitish flowers arranged in two ranks along a thin, wiry flowering stem that emerges from the top of the pseudobulb. There are about thirty five species native to areas from tropical and subtropical Asia to the southwestern Pacific.

<i>Dipodium roseum</i> Species of orchid

Dipodium roseum, commonly known as rosy hyacinth-orchid or pink hyacinth-orchid, is a leafless saprophytic orchid found in east and south-eastern Australia. In summer it produces a tall flowering stem with up to fifty pale pink flowers with small, dark red spots. A widespread and common species it is often confused with D. punctatum but has darker, less heavily spotted flowers.

<i>Cryptostylis</i> Species of orchid

Cryptostylis, commonly known as tongue orchids, is a genus of flowering plants from the orchid family. Tongue orchids are terrestrial herbs with one to a few stalked leaves at the base of the flowering stem, or leafless. One to a few dull coloured flowers are borne on an erect flowering stem. The most conspicuous part of the flower is the labellum, compared to the much reduced sepals and petals. At least some species are pollinated by wasps when they attempt to mate with the flower. There are about twenty five species found in South Asia, Southeast Asia and the South Pacific.

Erythrodes is a genus of flowering plants from the orchid family, Orchidaceae. It contains 26 currently recognised species, native to Southeast Asia, China, the Indian Subcontinent, New Guinea, and some islands of the Pacific.

  1. Erythrodes amboinensis(J.J.Sm.) J.J.Sm. - Ambon
  2. Erythrodes bicalcarata(R.S.Rogers & C.T.White) W.Kittr. - New Guinea
  3. Erythrodes bicarinataSchltr. - New Guinea, Vanuatu
  4. Erythrodes blumei(Lindl.) Schltr. in K.M.Schumann & C.A.G.Lauterbach - from Assam east to Taiwan, south to Java
  5. Erythrodes boettcheriAmes - Luzon
  6. Erythrodes celebensisP.O'Byrne - Sulawesi
  7. Erythrodes forcipataSchltr. - New Guinea
  8. Erythrodes glandulosa(Lindl.) Ames - Borneo
  9. Erythrodes glaucescensSchltr. - New Guinea
  10. Erythrodes hirsuta(Griff.) Ormerod in G.Seidenfaden - Hainan, Assam, Bhutan, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam
  11. Erythrodes humilis(Blume) J.J.Sm. - Java, Sumatra, peninsular Malaysia
  12. Erythrodes johorensis(P.O'Byrne) Ormerod - peninsular Malaysia
  13. Erythrodes latifoliaBlume - Java, Sumatra, peninsular Malaysia
  14. Erythrodes latilobaOrmerod - Sri Lanka
  15. Erythrodes oxyglossaSchltr. - Fiji, New Caledonia, Samoa, Tonga, Vanuatu, Wallis & Futuna
  16. Erythrodes papuanaSchltr. in K.M.Schumann & C.A.G.Lauterbach - New Guinea
  17. Erythrodes parvulaKores - Fiji, Tonga
  18. Erythrodes praemorsaSchltr. - New Guinea
  19. Erythrodes purpurascensSchltr. in K.M.Schumann & C.A.G.Lauterbach - New Guinea, Fiji, Tonga, Samoa
  20. Erythrodes sepikanaSchltr. - New Guinea
  21. Erythrodes sutricalcarL.O.Williams - New Guinea
  22. Erythrodes tetrodontaOrmerod - New Guinea
  23. Erythrodes torricellensisSchltr. - New Guinea
  24. Erythrodes trilobaCarr - Sabah
  25. Erythrodes weberiAmes - Philippines
  26. Erythrodes wenzeliiAmes - Philippines
<i>Vrydagzynea</i> Genus of orchids

Vrydagzynea, commonly called tonsil orchids, is a genus of orchids in the tribe Cranichideae. About forty five species of Vrydagzynea have been formally described. They are native to India, Taiwan, Southeast Asia, Malesia, Melanesia and Polynesia. A single species in Australia is possibly extinct. They have thinly textured, stalked leaves and small, dull-coloured resupinate flowers with the dorsal sepal and petals overlapping to form a hood over the column.

<i>Thelasis</i> Genus of orchids

Thelasis, commonly known as fly orchids, is a genus of flowering plants from the orchid family, Orchidaceae. Plants in this genus are usually epiphytes, sometimes lithophytes or rarely terrestrials. Some species have pseudobulbs with up to three leaves, whilst others have several leaves in two ranks. A large number of small, white or greenish yellow flowers are borne on a thin, arching flowering stem. There are about thirty species, distributed from tropical and subtropical Asia to the southwest Pacific.

<i>Micropera</i> Genus of orchids

Micropera, commonly known as dismal orchids or 小囊兰属 is a genus of about twenty species of flowering plants from the orchid family, Orchidaceae. Plants in this genus are large epiphytes with thick roots, long, fibrous stems, linear leaves and whitish or yellow, non-resupinate flowers. The sepals and petals are similar to each other and the labellum is shoe-shaped or sac-like and has three lobes. It is found from Tibet to tropical Asia and the western Pacific Ocean.

<i>Microsaccus</i> Genus of orchids

Microsaccus is a genus of flowering plants from the orchid family, Orchidaceae. It is native to Southeast Asia.

Dipodium fragrans is an orchid species that is native to south-east Asia. It was formally described in 2006. It occurs in Sumatra, Peninsular Malaysia, Borneo and Sulawesi.

Dipodium pulchellum is an almost leafless orchid that is endemic to north-east New South Wales and south-east Queensland in Australia. Up to forty pink flowers with darker blotches are borne in summer and winter on flowering spikes up to 90 cm (40 in) long.

<i>Rhomboda</i> Genus of flowering plants

Rhomboda, commonly known as velvet jewel orchids, is a genus of about twenty species of flowering plants in the orchid family Orchidaceae. Plants in this genus are mostly terrestrial herbs with a fleshy, creeping rhizome and a loose rosette of green to maroon coloured leaves. Small resupinate or partly resupinate, dull coloured flowers are borne on a hairy flowering stem. The dorsal sepal and petals overlap and form a hood over the column and there is a deep pouch at the base of the labellum. They are found in tropical regions from northern India through Southeast Asia, China, Japan to Australia and some Pacific Islands.

<i>Trachoma</i> (plant) Genus of orchids

Trachoma, commonly known as spectral orchids, is a genus of flowering plants in the family Orchidaceae. Orchids in this genus are epiphytic plants with leafy stems, crowded, leathery leaves arranged in two ranks and a large number of relatively small, short-lived flowers that often open in successive clusters. The sepals and petals are free from and more or less similar to each other, except that the petals are often smaller. The labellum is rigidly fixed to the column and is more or less sac-shaped. There are about 17 species distributed from Assam to the Western Pacific Ocean. Most species grow in rainforests, often on emergent trees such as hoop pine.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Dipodium". APNI. Retrieved 12 July 2018.
  2. 1 2 "Dipodium R.Br". Plant of the World Online. Retrieved 12 January 2024.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Jones, David L. (2006). A complete guide to native orchids of Australia including the island territories. Frenchs Forest, N.S.W.: New Holland. p. 270. ISBN   1877069124.
  4. "Dipodium R.Br". FloraBase . Western Australian Government Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.
  5. Weston, P.H. "Genus Dipodium". PlantNET - New South Wales Flora Online. Royal Botanic Gardens & Domain Trust, Sydney Australia. Retrieved 7 February 2014.
  6. Jeanes, Jeff. "Dipodium". Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria. Retrieved 12 July 2018.
  7. Brown, Robert (1810). Prodromus Florae Novae Hollandiae et Insulae Van Diemen. London. pp. 330–331. Retrieved 12 July 2018.
  8. Clements, Mark A (2013). The Allure of Orchids. National Library Australia. pp. 48–51. ISBN   978-0-642-27807-4.
  9. Jones, David L. (1991). "New taxa of Australian Orchidaceae". Australian Orchid Research. 2: 48.
  10. Jessup, Scott. "Action statement - yellow hyacinth orchid Dipodium hamiltonianum" (PDF). The State of Victoria, Department of Sustainability and Environment. Retrieved 12 July 2018.
  11. Lawler, L.J.; Slaytor, M. (1969). "The distribution of alkaloids in orchids from the territory of Papua and New Guinea". Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales. 94: 240. Retrieved 8 February 2014.
  12. "Dipodium punctatum". World Checklist of Selected Plant Families (WCSP). Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew . Retrieved 12 July 2018.