Adenochilus

Adenochilus nortonii Blackboard 6 in: R. D. Fitzgeraldi: Australian Orchids (1882 )

The genus Adenochilus from the orchid family (Orchidaceae ) consists of only two types. They are small, herbaceous plants moist forests. Its distribution is limited to Australia and New Zealand.

Description

The Adenochilus species grow with a creeping, fleshy rhizome in the top soil layer. Roots are not present, only so-called rhizoids. From the rhizome spring vegetative shoots with a pedicled leaf and reproductive shoots with a seated on the inflorescence axis sheet. The leaves are oval with heart- shaped base and a pointed tip. About the Journal of the shoot still carries one to three bracts and a flower. Rarely are also two flowers per shoot. The flowers are colored 'upside and white. While the plant is otherwise glabrous, the outer sides of the petals are covered with glandular hairs. The upper sepal is concave and wide arches over the column, the lateral sepals are narrower and are available from. The petals are also narrow and are laterally adjacent to the upper sepal. The small lip is adherent to the narrow base of a piece with the column. The free part of the lip is three-lobed, he is initially parallel to the column and then bends in the middle to bottom. On the lip are thickened longitudinal strips, the largest yellow or orange in color. The column is elongated and slightly curved, the sides pulled out as a wing or narrow lobes. She wears at the top of the two -chambered stamen with eight pollinia mealy. The separation between scar tissue and stamen ( rostellum ) is bilobed.

Dissemination

One way Adenochilus gracilis, is common in New Zealand. It occurs on the North and South Islands, Stewart on Iceland and the Chatham Islands. While they inhabited only higher altitudes in the north of its range, it comes further south also in the lowlands.

Adenochilus nortonii is known only from a few locations in southeastern Australia. They inhabited altitudes between 500 and 1500 meters.

The plants grow well supplied with water, shady spots in leaf litter or moss beds.

Documents

The information of this article come from:

• LB Moore, Edgar E. (1970 ): Flora of New Zealand. Volume II Indigenous Tracheophyta - Monocotyledons except Gramineae. First electronic edition, Landcare Research, June 2004. Transcr. A.D. Wilton, I.M.L. Andres. Flora of New Zealand
• DL Jones, T. Hopley, SM Duffy, KJ Richards, MA Clements, X. Zhang (2006): Australian Orchid Genera.
• New Zealand Plant Conservation Network