Pteroglossa
Pteroglossa euphlebia, illustration from Curtis 's Botanical Magazine
Pteroglossa is a genus of the orchid family ( Orchidaceae). It contains eleven species that are widespread in Central and South America.
Description
The Pteroglossa species are relatively large herbaceous plants. The roots stand together in bunches, they are fleshy, petiolate - spindle-shaped and hairy. The short- stalked leaves are in a basal rosette, during the flowering season they are usually still available, but already withered in some species. The leaf blade is oval, inverted egg-shaped to reverse- lanceolate, the leaf base is wedge-shaped. The leaf color ranges from light green to white with olive green, silvery or reddish drawing. The leaf margin is somewhat translucent
The racemose inflorescence is many flowered, the flowers are relatively large and conspicuous. At the top of the inflorescence axis is usually hairy. The bracts are tightly envelop the peduncle but no more than at the bottom of a set, they are tubular to lanceolate, pointed, hairless, their color is green to reddish. The fleshy flowers are white, white with reddish drawing, pink or yellow; they do not smell. The ovary is sessile, hairy cylindrical to spindle- shaped, scarcely twisted and easily. The three outer petals are hairy on the outside. The dorsal sepal is concave, together with the lateral petals it forms a semi-open cap over the flower. The lateral sepals are fused together into a spur that runs down to the ovary and is intergrown with this up to a free tip. The petals are at the base obliquely cuneate, their margin is often wavy, stick to the dorsal sepal. The lip is fused at the base with the lateral sepals for a short distance, sitting or nailed, their edges are thickened at the base to two nectar glands. The lamina of the lip is long - tongue-shaped to wedge-shaped tapered, three-lobed in some species. The column is short and straight, at the base extends a long "foot" on the joint with the ovary addition, the pedestal is a piece of grown far with the ovary, at the top, however, free. The scar is facing forward, it is rounded to u -shaped bilobed, the lobes more or less separated by a fold which extends along the bottom of the column. The stamen is oval, the basal part is surrounded by membranous tissue of the column ( Klinandrium ). The yellow pollinia are club-shaped with rounded or elongated viscid disc ( Viscidium ). The separation layers between stamen and stigma ( rostellum ) is stiff, pointed, triangular with indistinct tridentate tip. The capsules are oval.
Occurrence
The species of the genus Pteroglossa occur in Central and South America, with two electrodes separated by the Amazon basin areas exist. In the north they are from Mexico, Central America, along the north coast of South America and southward spread into the Andes to Peru. Furthermore, they can be found in southeastern Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina. They colonize altitudes up to 2700 meters and are terrestrial in tropical evergreen or seasonal laubabwerfendem forest before, in scrubland, savannas and grasslands.
Systematics and botanical history
Pteroglossa is classified within the tribe Cranichideae in the subtribe Spiranthinae. The genus was described in 1920 by Rudolf Schlechter. The name derives from the Greek πτερόν pteron for "Wings " and γλώσσα glossa, "tongue", and refers to the shape of the lip. Lektotyp is Pteroglossa macrantha.
After morphological aspects Pteroglossa is counted for the relationship to Stenorrhynchos, particularly similar are Eltroplectris and Lyroglossa. DNA studies indicate, however, a relationship to Mesadenella and Sacoila. The demarcation of Eltroplectris was made by Szlachetko the basis of characteristics of the spur, he also described a third species, Ochyrella. The list of species, according to Kew does not follow the:
- Pteroglossa euphlebia ( Rchb.f. ) Garay
- Pteroglossa glazioviana ( Cogn. ) Garay
- Pteroglossa hilariana ( Cogn. ) Garay
- Pteroglossa lurida ( M.N.Correa ) Garay
- Pteroglossa luteola Garay
- Pteroglossa macrantha ( Rchb.f. ) Schltr.
- Pteroglossa magnifica Szlach.
- Pteroglossa regia ( Kraenzl. ) Schltr.
- Pteroglossa rhombipetala Garay
- Pteroglossa roseoalba ( Rchb.f. ) Salazar & MWChase
- Pteroglossa travassosii ( Rolfe ) Salazar & MWChase