Epistephium

Epistephium lucidum

Epistephium is a genus of the orchid family ( Orchidaceae). It contains more than twenty species of herbaceous plants that are native to tropical America.

Description

The species of the genus are terrestrial Epistephium growing plants. Some species can be quite large, about Epistephium hernandii to five meters. The roots are not thickened. The leaves sit distributed over the entire length on the shoot. They are sessile or short-stalked, netzadrig, oval, leathery and glossy.

The Vielblütige inflorescence is usually terminal, it can be somewhat branched. The resupinierten flowers are usually large and strikingly colored pink to purple. They open one after the other, so that each one is open to three simultaneously. The ovary is thin cylindrical, sessile, with a wreath sepal -like denticles ( Calyculus ) occupied. The sepals resemble each other, they are widely spread out and not grow together. The petals are wider than the sepals, also spread. The lip is abruptly narrowed at the base ( nailed ), the nail is fused with the base of the column. The lamina of the lip is free, entire or lobed, the lower part includes the column, the front part is spread out and bent down. The lip is along the center filled with bars, these are hairy directed backwards. The column is semi-circular in cross section. The stamen is hooded like a thin, three-lobed tissue ( Klinandrium ) surrounded. The stamen is opposite the axis of the column strongly bent down, it is zweikammrig, the pollen is divided into four sections grainy, but the little related and form no pollinia. The pollen is as individual pollen grains before ( monads ). The scar is large and is transverse to the column axis. The capsule fruit is cylindrical, the perianth falls away after pollination, but get the teeth remain on the ovary.

Occurrence

Epistephium is widespread in tropical America. The distribution extends over the northern half of South America. Ellipticum Epistephium has a disjoint area in the north of South America as well as in Belize. The plants are found at altitudes from 100 to 1200 meters.

The sites are in savannas, grasslands, or in bushes, the climate is moist during the growing period, but usually has a distinct dry season on.

Systematics and botanical history

Epistephium is classified within the subfamily Vanilloideae in the tribe Vanilleae. The most closely related genera are not clear: in addition to a close relationship to Clematepistephium, Eriaxis, Erythrorchis or Vanilla comes a position as a sister taxon to all remaining Vanilleae into consideration.

Epistephium was first described in 1822 by Kunth. The name comes from the Greek epi - Epistephium, "over", and stephanos, "crown", it refers to the serrated edge of the ovary. Type species Epistephium is elatum.

The following 22 species are counted to the genus Epistephium:

  • Epistephium amabile Schltr.
  • Epistephium amplexicaule ( Ruiz & Pav ) Poepp. & Endl.
  • Epistephium brevicristatum R.E.Schult.
  • Epistephium duckei Huber
  • Epistephium elatum Kunth in HBK
  • Epistephium ellipticum R.O.Williams & Summerh.
  • Epistephium frederici - augusti Rchb.f. & Warsz.
  • Epistephium hernandii Garay
  • Epistephium herzogianum Kraenzl.
  • Epistephium lamprophyllum Schltr.
  • Epistephium laxiflorum Barb.Rodr.
  • Epistephium lobulosum Garay
  • Epistephium lucidum Cogn.
  • Epistephium parviflorum Lindl.
  • Epistephium portellianum Barb.Rodr.
  • Epistephium sclerophyllum Lindl.
  • Epistephium sessiliflorum Lindl.
  • Epistephium speciosum Barb.Rodr.
  • Epistephium williamsii Hook.f.

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, pp. 53-54.
  • 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. 306-309.

Furthermore, quoting:

Postgraduate

  • List of Orchid Genera
  • Epistephium - the genus, by Nina Rach
  • Orchids
  • Orchidaceae
Resupination Ovary (botany) Labellum (botany) Pollinium Stigma (botany) Heinrich Gustav Reichenbach List of natural Orchidaceae genera
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