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Vrydagzynea

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Tonsil orchids
Drawing of Vrydagzynea albida
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Asparagales
Family: Orchidaceae
Subfamily: Orchidoideae
Tribe: Cranichideae
Subtribe: Goodyerinae
Genus: Vrydagzynea
Blume[1]

Vrydagzynea, commonly called tonsil orchids,[2] is a genus of orchids in the tribe Cranichideae. About forty five species of Vrydagzynea have been formally described. They are native to India, Taiwan, Southeast Asia, Malesia, Melanesia and Polynesia. A single species in Australia is possibly extinct. They have thinly textured, stalked leaves and small, dull-coloured resupinate flowers with the dorsal sepal and petals overlapping to form a hood over the column.

Description

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Orchids in the genus Vrydagzynea are terrestrial, perennial, deciduous, sympodial herbs with a fleshy, creeping, above-ground rhizome anchored by wiry roots. The leaves are thinly textured and stalked, arranged in a rosette at the base of the flowering stem or scattered along it. Small, resupinate dull-coloured flowers are crowded along the short flowering stem which usually has protruding bracts. The dorsal sepal and petals overlap, forming a hood over the column. The labellum has a downward pointing spur and two stalked glands that resemble tonsils or testicles. Orchids in this genus are distinguished from those in other similar genera by the labellum glands, labellum spur and by having petals which are shorter than the sepals.[2][3][4][5][6]

Taxonomy and naming

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The genus Vrydagzynea was first formally described in 1858 by Carl Ludwig Blume and the description was published in his book Collection des Orchidées les plus remarquables de l'archipel Indien et du Japon.[1][7] The name Vrydagzynea honours the Dutch pharmacologist Theodore Daniel Vrydag Zynen, a contemporary of Blume.[6]

List of species

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The following is a list of species of Vrydagzynea recognised by the World Checklist of Selected Plant Families as at October 2020:[1]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c "Vrydagzynea". World Checklist of Selected Plant Families (WCSP). Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
  2. ^ a b Jones, David L. (2006). A complete guide to native orchids of Australia including the island territories. Frenchs Forest, N.S.W.: New Holland. p. 350. ISBN 1877069124.
  3. ^ D.L.Jones; T.Hopley; S.M.Duffy (2010). "Vrydagzynea". Australian Tropical Rainforest Orchids. Centre for Australian National Biodiversity Research (CANBR), Australian Government. Retrieved 29 May 2021.
  4. ^ "Vrydagzynea". Flora of China. Retrieved 4 September 2018.
  5. ^ Alec M. Pridgeon; Phillip J. Cribb; Mark W. Chase; Finn N. Rasmussen, eds. (2003). Genera orchidacearum (Volume 3). Oxford: Oxford University Press. pp. 145–150. ISBN 0198507119.
  6. ^ a b "Vrydagzynea". The Orders and Families of Monocots. Retrieved 4 September 2018.
  7. ^ "Vrydagzynea". APNI. Retrieved 4 September 2018.