Stenorrhynchos
Stenorrhynchos speciosum
Stenorrhynchos is a genus of the orchid family ( Orchidaceae). It contains five species that are native to Central and South America.
Description
The Stenorrhynchos species are herbaceous plants. The roots stand together in bunches, they are fleshy, petiolate cylindrical to fusiform thickened, hairy. The leaves form a basal rosette, rarely they are distributed in the lower part of the stem. The leaf shape is oval to lanceolate, acute to long drawn out front, the leaf base cuneate runs out into a petiole.
The terminal, racemose inflorescence is glabrous. The peduncle is surrounded by large bracts. The numerous, closely spaced flowers are 'upside down without fragrance, its color is red. The lanceolate bracts are colored red. The hairless ovary is wrong pedunculated club-shaped to oval, sessile or short, slightly twisted. The sepals are formed equal, free, standing parallel to each other and so a tube shaping, laid adjacent to each other, the tips facing outward. The dorsal sepal is concave and not adherent to the column. The lateral sepals are slightly asymmetrical at the base, there bulged slightly, keeled on the outside along. The petals adhere to the dorsal sepal, its peak is not free. The lip is sitting, bowl-shaped at the base with lateral bulging as crescent-shaped thickening of nectar glands. The leaf surface of the lip is rinnig bent so that the sides of the column attached. The tip of the lip is bent down. At the base of the lip is hairy outside, in the middle it is hairy inside. The column is short and thick, slightly club-shaped, hairy, with significantly asymmetric base that extends beyond the joint with the ovary ( " pedestal ", this part is less or not hairy ). The scar is round to semi- round. The stamen is narrow - ovate to lanceolate, with heart- shaped base, pointed toe. The whitish pollinia are linear - clavate with rather long, linear - lanceolate, gray viscid disc ( Viscidium ). The separation layers between stamen and stigma ( rostellum ) is rigid, linear and pointed. The capsule fruit is oval.
The chromosome number is 2n = 46
Occurrence
Stenorrhynchos is distributed from Mexico through Central America and the Caribbean, and the Andes of South America. They come at altitudes from 600 to 3000 meters before, Stenorrhynchos vaginatum settled higher altitudes up to 4200 meters. This species grows on rocky slopes and in the páramo, the other species in more humid forests. Up to Stenorrhynchos speciosum, which grows mostly epiphytic, the species are terrestrial.
Systematics and botanical history
Stenorrhynchos is classified within the tribe Cranichideae in the subtribe Spiranthinae. The genus was described in 1826 by Curt Sprengel. The name derives from the Greek στενός stenos, "narrow" and ρύγχος rhynchos, " snout", and refers to the narrow rostellum. Type species Stenorrhynchos speciosum. Very many types of Spiranthinae with pointed, stiff rostellum were filed in Stenorrhynchos. Garays revision of 1982 summed up the genus much narrower, with only nine species. Of these, some were asked in the genus Dichromanthus 2002 by Gerardo Salazar and Soto Arenas; 2005, three new species were described by Christenson. Related genera are Eltroplectris, Mesadenella, Sacoila and Thelyschista.
The following species are included in genus Stenorrhynchos:
- Stenorrhynchos albidomaculatum Christenson
- Stenorrhynchos austrocompactum Christenson
- Stenorrhynchos glicensteinii Christenson
- Stenorrhynchos speciosum ( Jacq. ) Rich.
- Stenorrhynchos vaginatum ( Kunth ) Spreng.