Coccineorchis

Coccineorchis is a genus of the orchid family ( Orchidaceae). It contains seven species of herbaceous plants that are native to Central and South America.

Description

The species of the genus Coccineorchis are relatively large orchid. From a rhizome spring bunches the fleshy, hairy, spindle - shaped or cylindrical roots. The long -stalked leaves are in threes and eight in a rosette. They are oval shaped, pointed at the end.

The terminal, racemose inflorescence is occupied at intervals with bracts. The flowers are crowded together, are somewhat pendulous, tubular, striking yellow, orange or red. The ovary is not stalked, cylindrical to spindle -shaped and slightly twisted in itself. The sepals are lanceolate, the lateral grown together about half. The petals adhere to the dorsal sepal. The lip forms at its base together with the lateral sepals and the column a nectary, sitting there side two fleshy rearward nectar glands. The central portion of the lip groove- shaped, the sides of beaten up next to the column and the adherent. At the top of the lip is bent down, there wavy or curly around the edge. The column is slender, elongated, somewhat hairy, not adherent to the lateral sepal, base on the ovary is asymmetric. The scar is a semi-circle, pointing at the front, with a slightly raised edge. The separation between scar tissue and stamen ( rostellum ) is stiff, somewhat cartilaginous, lanceolate, tapering to a point. The stamen is oval - lanceolate, pointed, on the top with a round survey. It contains the whitish, clavate pollinia, hang on a large, oblong- narrow, gray viscid disc ( Viscidium ). Color and shape of the flowers indicates a pollination by hummingbirds.

Occurrence

Coccineorchis is widespread in tropical America. From Mexico to the north she comes across Central America and along the Andes to Peru before. The species grow at altitudes 800-3200 m in the shadow of more humid forests.

Systematics and botanical history

Coccineorchis is classified within the tribe Cranichideae in the subtribe Spiranthinae. Due to superficial similarities, a relationship has been suggested with Stenorrhynchos, but recent studies could not confirm. The similarities of Coccineorchis, Stenorrhynchus and Sacoila be interpreted as convergent evolution due to pollination by hummingbirds. Genetic studies provide Coccineorchis near the genus Pelexia.

Coccineorchis was first described in 1920 by Rudolf Schlechter. His chosen name Coccineorchis comes from Greek κόκκινος kokkinos for " scarlet ", and refers to the color of the flowers. The only way he named an orchid previously described by Kraenzlin as Spiranthes corymbosa. It was not until 1978, Garay found that the same way much earlier, in 1845, was described by Lindley cernuum as Stenorrhynchos, which is why the name of the type species Coccineorchis cernua is.

The species of the genus Coccineorchis:

• Coccineorchis bracteosa (Ames & C.Schweinf. ) Garay
• Coccineorchis cernua ( Lindl. ) Garay
• Coccineorchis cristata Szlach. , Rutk. & Mytnik
• Coccineorchis dressleri Szlach. , Rutk. & Mytnik
• Coccineorchis navarrensis ( Ames) Garay
• Coccineorchis standleyi ( Ames) Garay
• Coccineorchis warszewicziana Szlach. , Rutk. & Mytnik

Documents

The information in this article come from mainly:

• Leslie A. Garay: 225 (1). Orchidaceae ( Cypripedioideae, Orchidoideae and Neottioideae ). In: Gunnar Harling, Benkt Sparre (eds.): Flora of Ecuador. 9, 1978, ISSN 0347-8742, p 236
• Leslie A. Garay: A generic revision of the Spiranthinae. In: Botanical Museum Leaflets of Harvard University. 28, No. 4, 1982, p 306
• Alec M. Pridgeon, Phillip Cribb, Mark W. Chase and Finn Rasmussen ( ed.): Genera Orchidacearum. Orchidoideae (Part 2). Vanilloideae. 3/2, Oxford University Press, New York and Oxford 2003, ISBN 0-19-850711-9, pp. 181-182.

Furthermore, quoting:

Postgraduate

• List of Orchid Genera
• Photo of Coccineorchis standleyi

• Orchids
• Orchidaceae