''Calanthe'', commonly known as Christmas orchids, is a

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

of about 220 species of

orchid Orchids are plants that belong to the family Orchidaceae (), a diverse and widespread group of flowering plants with blooms that are often colourful and fragrant. Orchids are cosmopolitan plants that are found in almost every habitat on Eart ...

s in the

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

Orchidaceae. They are

evergreen In botany, an evergreen is a plant which has Leaf, foliage that remains green and functional throughout the year. This contrasts with deciduous plants, which lose their foliage completely during the winter or dry season. Consisting of many diffe ...

deciduous In the fields of horticulture and botany, the term deciduous () means "falling off at maturity" and "tending to fall off", in reference to trees and shrubs that seasonally shed Leaf, leaves, usually in the autumn; to the shedding of petals, aft ...

terrestrial Terrestrial refers to things related to land or the planet Earth, as opposed to extraterrestrial. Terrestrial may also refer to: * Terrestrial animal, an animal that lives on land opposed to living in water, or sometimes an animal that lives on o ...

plants with thick roots, small oval

pseudobulb In botany, a pseudobulb is a storage organ found in many epiphytic and terrestrial sympodial orchids. It is derived from a thickening of the part of a stem between leaf nodes and may be composed of just one internode or several, termed ''heter ...

s, large corrugated leaves and upright, sometimes arching flowering stems. The

sepal A sepal () is a part of the flower of angiosperms (flowering plants). Usually green, sepals typically function as protection for the flower in bud, and often as support for the petals when in bloom., p. 106 Etymology The term ''sepalum'' ...

s and

petal Petals are modified leaves that form an inner whorl surrounding the reproductive parts of flowers. They are often brightly coloured or unusually shaped to attract pollinators. All of the petals of a flower are collectively known as the ''corol ...

s are narrow and a similar size to each other and the labellum usually has spreading lobes.

Description

Orchids in the genus ''Calanthe'' are terrestrial with small, crowded pseudobulbs with thick roots and a few corrugated or wrinkled leaves with the base tapering to a

petiole Petiole may refer to: *Petiole (botany), the stalk of a leaf, attaching the blade to the stem *Petiole (insect anatomy) In entomology, petiole is the technical term for the narrow waist of some hymenopteran insects, especially ants, bees, and ...

-like stalk. Some species are evergreen while others are deciduous. The flowers are delicate but showy, white, pink, yellow or orange and crowded near the end of an erect, sometimes arching flowering stem. The sepals and petals are relatively narrow, similar in size and spread widely. The labellum has three or four spreading lobes and in most species there is a spur at the base. Unlike similar orchids, the labellum of ''Calanthe'' orchids is fused to the

column A column or pillar in architecture and structural engineering is a structural element that transmits, through compression, the weight of the structure above to other structural elements below. In other words, a column is a compression member ...

Taxonomy and naming

The genus ''Calanthe'' was first formally described in 1821 by

Robert Brown Robert Brown may refer to: Robert Brown (born 1965), British Director, Animator and author Entertainers and artists * Washboard Sam or Robert Brown (1910–1966), American musician and singer * Robert W. Brown (1917–2009), American printmaker ...

and his manuscript was published in ''The Botanical Register''. The name ''Calanthe'' is derived from the Ancient Greek words ''kallos'' meaning "beauty" and ''anthos'' meaning "flower".

Distribution and habitat

''Calanthe'' species are found in all Tropics, tropical areas, but mostly concentrated in Southeast Asia. Some species also range into subtropical lands such as China, India, Madagascar, Australia, Mexico, Central America, the West Indies and various islands of the Pacific and Indian Oceans.

List of species

The following is a list of species of ''Calanthe'' recognised by the ''Plants of the World Online'' as at August 2018: * ''Calanthe abbreviata'' (Blume) Lindl. * ''Calanthe aceras'' Schltr. * ''Calanthe africana'' M.W.Chase, Christenh. & Schuit. * ''Calanthe alba'' W.Suarez & Cootes * ''Calanthe albolutea'' Ridl. * ''Calanthe alismifolia'' Lindl. * ''Calanthe alleizettei'' Gagnep. * ''Calanthe alpina'' Hook.f. ex Lindl. * ''Calanthe alta'' Rchb.f. * ''Calanthe amboinensis'' (Blume) M.W.Chase, Christenh. & Schuit. * ''Calanthe angustifolia'' (Blume) Lindl. * ''Calanthe aquamarina'' Schuit. & de Vogel * ''Calanthe arcuata'' Rolfe * ''Calanthe arfakana'' J.J.Sm. * ''Calanthe argenteostriata'' C.Z.Tang & S.J.Cheng * ''Calanthe arisanensis'' Hayata * ''Calanthe aristulifera'' Rchb.f. * ''Calanthe aruank'' P.Royen * ''Calanthe aurantiaca'' Ridl. * ''Calanthe aureiflora'' J.J.Sm. * ''Calanthe averyanoviana'' M.W.Chase, Christenh. & Schuit. * ''Calanthe baconii'' (J.J.Sm. & Shim) M.W.Chase, Christenh. & Schuit. * ''Calanthe balansae'' Finet * ''Calanthe baliensis'' J.J.Wood & J.B.Comber * ''Calanthe beamanii'' P.J.Cribb * ''Calanthe beleensis'' Ormerod & P.J.Cribb * ''Calanthe bicalcarata'' J.J.Sm. * ''Calanthe biloba'' Lindl. * ''Calanthe bingtaoi'' J.W.Zhai, L.J.Chen & Z.J.Liu * ''Calanthe bivalvis'' P.J.Cribb & Ormerod * ''Calanthe borneensis'' (J.J.Sm.) M.W.Chase, Christenh. & Schuit. * ''Calanthe brassii'' Ormerod * ''Calanthe brevicornu'' Lindl. * ''Calanthe burkei'' P.J.Cribb * ''Calanthe calanthoides'' (A.Rich. & Galeotti) Hamer & Garay in F.Hamer * ''Calanthe callosa'' (Blume) M.W.Chase, Christenh. & Schuit. * ''Calanthe camptoceras'' Schltr. * ''Calanthe cardioglossa'' Schltr. * ''Calanthe carrii'' Govaerts * ''Calanthe caulescens'' J.J.Sm. * ''Calanthe caulodes'' J.J.Sm. * ''Calanthe ceciliae'' Rchb.f. * ''Calanthe celebica'' Rolfe * ''Calanthe chevalieri'' Gagnep. * ''Calanthe chloroleuca'' Lindl. * ''Calanthe chrysoglossoides'' J.J.Sm. * ''Calanthe clavata'' Lindl. * ''Calanthe clavicalcar'' J.J.Sm. * ''Calanthe claytonii'' P.J.Cribb * ''Calanthe coiloglossa'' Schltr. in K.M.Schumann & C.A.G.Lauterbach * ''Calanthe columnaris'' (C.Z.Tang & S.J.Cheng) M.W.Chase, Christenh. & Schuit. * ''Calanthe conspicua'' Lindl. * ''Calanthe coodei'' P.J.Cribb * ''Calanthe cooperi'' (Rolfe) M.W.Chase, Christenh. & Schuit. * ''Calanthe cootesii'' Naive * ''Calanthe corymboides'' (Schltr.) M.W.Chase, Christenh. & Schuit. * ''Calanthe cremeoviridis'' J.J.Wood * ''Calanthe crenulata'' J.J.Sm. * ''Calanthe crispifolia'' Ormerod * ''Calanthe cruciata'' Schltr. * ''Calanthe crumenata'' Ridl. * ''Calanthe crystallina'' P.J.Cribb * ''Calanthe curvatoascendens'' Gilli * ''Calanthe daenikeri'' (Kraenzl.) M.W.Chase, Christenh. & Schuit. * ''Calanthe davaensis'' Ames * ''Calanthe davidii'' Franch. * ''Calanthe daymanensis'' Ormerod & P.J.Cribb * ''Calanthe decora'' M.W.Chase, Christenh. & Schuit. * ''Calanthe delavayi'' Finet * ''Calanthe densiflora'' Lindl. * ''Calanthe devogelii'' P.J.Cribb & D.A.Clayton * ''Calanthe discolor'' Lindl. * ''Calanthe dolichopoda'' Fukuy * ''Calanthe dulongensis'' H.Li, R.Li & Z.L.Dao * ''Calanthe duyana'' Aver. * ''Calanthe ecalcarata'' (J.J.Sm.) M.W.Chase, Christenh. & Schuit. * ''Calanthe ecallosa'' J.J.Sm. * ''Calanthe ecarinata'' Rolfe ex Hemsl. * ''Calanthe emeishanica'' K.Y.Lang & Z.H.Tsi * ''Calanthe engleriana'' Kraenzl. in K.M.Schumann & C.A.G.Lauterbach * ''Calanthe epiphytica'' Carr * ''Calanthe fargesii'' Finet * ''Calanthe ferruginea'' M.W.Chase, Christenh. & Schuit. * ''Calanthe finisterrae'' Schltr. * ''Calanthe fissa'' L.O.Williams * ''Calanthe flava'' (Blume) C.Morren * ''Calanthe floresana'' P.J.Cribb * ''Calanthe forbesii'' Ridl. * ''Calanthe formosana'' Rolfe * ''Calanthe fragrans'' P.Royen * ''Calanthe francoisii'' (Schltr.) M.W.Chase, Christenh. & Schuit. * ''Calanthe fugongensis'' X.H.Jin & S.C.Chen * ''Calanthe geelvinkensis'' J.J.Sm. * ''Calanthe gibbsiae'' Rolfe * ''Calanthe goodenoughiana'' Ormerod & P.J.Cribb * ''Calanthe graciliflora'' Hayata * ''Calanthe graciliscapa'' Schltr. * ''Calanthe grandiflora'' Nadeaud * ''Calanthe grata'' (Blume) M.W.Chase, Christenh. & Schuit. * ''Calanthe griffithii'' Lindl. * ''Calanthe gustavii'' M.W.Chase, Christenh. & Schuit. * ''Calanthe habbemensis'' Ormerod & P.J.Cribb * ''Calanthe hainanensis'' (C.Z.Tang & S.J.Cheng) M.W.Chase & Schuit. * ''Calanthe halconensis'' Ames * ''Calanthe hancockii'' Rolfe * ''Calanthe hattorii'' Schltr. * ''Calanthe hekouensis'' (Tsukaya, M.Najak. & S.K.Wu) M.W.Chase, Christenh. & Schuit. * ''Calanthe henryi'' Rolfe * ''Calanthe herbacea'' Lindl. * ''Calanthe himalaicum'' Raskoti * ''Calanthe hirsuta'' Seidenf. * ''Calanthe hololeuca'' Rchb.f. in B.Seemann * ''Calanthe hoshii'' S.Kobay. * ''Calanthe humblotii'' (Rchb.f.) M.W.Chase, Christenh. & Schuit. * ''Calanthe hyacinthina'' Schltr. * ''Calanthe imthurnii'' Kores * ''Calanthe indigofera'' (Hassk.) M.W.Chase, Christenh. & Schuit. * ''Calanthe indochinensis'' (Seidenf. & Ormerod) M.W.Chase, Christenh. & Schuit. * ''Calanthe inflata'' Schltr. * ''Calanthe insularis'' S.H.Oh, H.J.Suh & C.W.Park * ''Calanthe izu-insularis'' (Satomi) Ohwi & Satomi in J.Ohwi * ''Calanthe johorensis'' Holttum * ''Calanthe judithiae'' P.J.Cribb * ''Calanthe jusnerii'' Boxall ex Náves in F.M.Blanco * ''Calanthe kaniensis'' Schltr. * ''Calanthe kemulensis'' J.J.Sm. * ''Calanthe kermodei'' Ormerod & Kurzweil * ''Calanthe keshabii'' Lucksom * ''Calanthe kinabaluensis'' Rolfe * ''Calanthe kooshunensis'' Fukuy. * ''Calanthe labiata'' (J.J.Sm.) M.W.Chase, Christenh. & Schuit. * ''Calanthe labrosa'' (Rchb.f.) Rchb.f. * ''Calanthe lacerata'' Ames * ''Calanthe laciniata'' (Ormerod) M.W.Chase, Christenh. & Schuit. * ''Calanthe lambii'' P.J.Cribb * ''Calanthe lamellosa'' Rolfe * ''Calanthe lancilabris'' Ormerod & P.J.Cribb * ''Calanthe landyae'' (P.J.Cribb & J.V.Stone) M.W.Chase, Christenh. & Schuit. * ''Calanthe lechangensis'' Z.H.Tsi & Tang * ''Calanthe leonidii'' P.J.Cribb & D.A.Clayton * ''Calanthe leucosceptrum'' Schltr. * ''Calanthe leuseri'' P.J.Cribb * ''Calanthe ligo'' P.J.Cribb * ''Calanthe limprichtii'' Schltr. * ''Calanthe longgangensis'' Y.S.Huang & Yan Liu * ''Calanthe longibracteata'' Ridl. * ''Calanthe longicornu'' (Guillaumin) M.W.Chase, Christenh. & Schuit. * ''Calanthe longifolia'' Schltr. * ''Calanthe longipes'' Hook.f. * ''Calanthe lutea'' (Ursch & Toill.-Gen. ex Bosser) M.W.Chase, Christenh. & Schuit. * ''Calanthe lyonii'' (Ames) M.W.Chase, Christenh. & Schuit. * ''Calanthe lyroglossa'' Rchb.f. * ''Calanthe madagascariensis'' Rolfe ex Hook.f. * ''Calanthe mannii'' Hook.f. * ''Calanthe maquilingensis'' Ames * ''Calanthe masuca'' (D.Don) Lindl. * ''Calanthe maxii'' P.O'Byrne * ''Calanthe mcgregorii'' Ames * ''Calanthe metoensis'' Z.H.Tsi & K.Y.Lang * ''Calanthe micrantha'' Schltr. * ''Calanthe microglossa'' Ridl. * ''Calanthe millikenii'' P.J.Cribb * ''Calanthe millotae'' Ursch & Genoud ex Bosser * ''Calanthe mindorensis'' Ames, Philipp. J. Sci. * ''Calanthe mishmensis'' (Lindl. & Paxton) M.W.Chase, Christenh. & Schuit. * ''Calanthe moluccensis'' J.J.Sm. * ''Calanthe monophylla'' Ridl. * ''Calanthe montana'' (Schltr.) M.W.Chase, Christenh. & Schuit. * ''Calanthe morotaiensis'' (Ormerod & Juswara) Schuit. * ''Calanthe musa-amanii'' J.J.Wood * ''Calanthe nana'' (Hook.f.) M.W.Chase, Christenh. & Schuit. * ''Calanthe nankunensis'' Z.H.Tsi * ''Calanthe nguyenthinhii'' Aver. * ''Calanthe nicolae'' P.O'Byrne * ''Calanthe nipponica'' Makino * ''Calanthe nivalis'' Boxall ex Náves in F.M.Blanco * ''Calanthe obcordata'' (Lindl.) M.W.Chase, Christenh. & Schuit. * ''Calanthe obreniformis'' J.J.Sm. * ''Calanthe odora'' Griff. * ''Calanthe okinawensis'' Hayata * ''Calanthe oreadum'' Rendle * ''Calanthe otuhanica'' C.L.Chan & T.J.Barkman * ''Calanthe ovalifolia'' Ridl. * ''Calanthe ovata'' Ridl. * ''Calanthe parvilabris'' Schltr. * ''Calanthe pauciflora'' (Blume) M.W.Chase, Christenh. & Schuit. * ''Calanthe pauciverrucosa'' J.J.Sm. * ''Calanthe pavairiensis'' Ormerod * ''Calanthe perrottetii'' A.Rich. * ''Calanthe petelotiana'' Gagnep. * ''Calanthe peyrotii'' (Bosser) M.W.Chase, Christenh. & Schuit. * ''Calanthe philippinensis'' (N.E.Br.) M.W.Chase, Christenh. & Schuit. * ''Calanthe plantaginea'' Lindl. * ''Calanthe poiformis'' P.J.Cribb & Ormerod * ''Calanthe polyantha'' Gilli * ''Calanthe puberula'' Lindl. * ''Calanthe pulchella'' (Kraenzl.) M.W.Chase, Christenh. & Schuit. * ''Calanthe pulchra'' (Blume) Lindl. * ''Calanthe pullei'' J.J.Sm. * ''Calanthe punctata'' Kurzweil * ''Calanthe reflexilabris'' J.J.Sm. * ''Calanthe reflexipetals'' (J.J.Wood & Shim) M.W.Chase, Christenh. & Schuit. * ''Calanthe rhodochila'' Schltr. * ''Calanthe rigida'' Carr * ''Calanthe robertsii'' (F.Muell.) M.W.Chase, Christenh. & Schuit. * ''Calanthe rosea'' (Lindl.) Benth. * ''Calanthe rubens'' Ridl. * ''Calanthe rubra'' S.H.Oh, H.J.Suh & C.W.Park * ''Calanthe ruthiae'' (P.T.Ong & P.O'Byrne) Schuit. * ''Calanthe ruttenii'' J.J.Sm. * ''Calanthe saccata'' J.J.Sm. * ''Calanthe sacculata'' Schltr. * ''Calanthe salaccensis'' J.J.Sm. * ''Calanthe sandsii'' P.J.Cribb * ''Calanthe scaposa'' Z.H.Tsi & K.Y.Lang * ''Calanthe secunda'' P.J.Cribb * ''Calanthe seranica'' J.J.Sm. * ''Calanthe siargaoensis'' M.Leon, Naive & Cootes * ''Calanthe sieboldopsis'' B.Y.Yang & Bo Li * ''Calanthe simplex'' Seidenf. * ''Calanthe simulans'' (Rolfe) M.W.Chase, Christenh. & Schuit. * ''Calanthe sinica'' Z.H.Tsi * ''Calanthe solomonensis'' P.J.Cribb & D.A.Clayton * ''Calanthe spathoglottoides'' Schltr. * ''Calanthe speciosa'' (Blume) Lindl. * ''Calanthe steinhardtiana'' (Senghas) M.W.Chase, Christenh. & Schuit. * ''Calanthe stella'' P.J.Cribb * ''Calanthe stenocentron'' (Schltr.) M.W.Chase, Christenh. & Schuit. * ''Calanthe striata'' R.Br. ex Spreng. * ''Calanthe subtriloba'' (Ames & C.Schweinf.) M.W.Chase, Christenh. & Schuit. * ''Calanthe succedanea'' Gagnep. * ''Calanthe sylvatica'' (Thouars) Lindl. * ''Calanthe taenioides'' J.J.Sm. * ''Calanthe tahitensis'' Nadeaud * ''Calanthe taibaishanensis'' M.Guo, J.W.Zhai & L.J.Chen * ''Calanthe takeoi'' Hayata * ''Calanthe takeuchii'' Ormerod & P.J.Cribb * ''Calanthe tankervilleae'' (Banks) M.W.Chase, Christenh. & Schuit. * ''Calanthe tenuis'' Ames & C.Schweinf. * ''Calanthe testacea'' M.W.Chase, Christenh. & Schuit. * ''Calanthe tetragona'' (Thoars) M.W.Chase, Christenh. & Schuit. * ''Calanthe tonkinensis'' (Aver.) M.W.Chase, Christenh. & Schuit. * ''Calanthe torricellensis'' Schltr. in K.M.Schumann & C.A.G.Lauterbach * ''Calanthe transiens'' J.J.Sm. * ''Calanthe tricarinata'' Lindl. * ''Calanthe trichoneura'' (Schltr.) M.W.Chase, Christenh. & Schuit. * ''Calanthe trifida'' Tang & F.T.Wang * ''Calanthe triplicata'' (Willemet) Ames * ''Calanthe trulliformis'' King & Pantl. * ''Calanthe truncata'' J.J.Sm. * ''Calanthe truncicola'' Schltr. * ''Calanthe tsiana'' Y.Q.Chen, J.W.Zhai & S.R.Lan * ''Calanthe tsoongiana'' Tang & F.T.Wang * ''Calanthe tuberculosa'' (Thoars) M.W.Chase, Christenh. & Schuit. * ''Calanthe uncata'' Lindl. * ''Calanthe undulata'' J.J.Sm. * ''Calanthe unifolia'' Ridl. * ''Calanthe velutina'' Ridl. * ''Calanthe ventilabrum'' Rchb.f. in B.Seemann * ''Calanthe versteegii'' J.J.Sm. * ''Calanthe vestita'' Wall. ex Lindl. * ''Calanthe villosa'' J.J.Sm. * ''Calanthe villosagastris'' (Thoars) M.W.Chase, Christenh. & Schuit. * ''Calanthe wallichii'' (Lindl.) M.W.Chase, Christenh. & Schuit. * ''Calanthe wenshanensis'' J.W.Zhai, L.J.Chen & Z.J.Liu * ''Calanthe whistleri'' P.J.Cribb & D.A.Clayton * ''Calanthe whiteana'' King & Pantl. * ''Calanthe womersleyi'' P.J.Cribb & Ormerod * ''Calanthe woodfordii'' (Hook.) M.W.Chase, Christenh. & Schuit. * ''Calanthe woodii'' P.J.Cribb * ''Calanthe wuxiensis'' H.P.Deng & F.Q.Yu * ''Calanthe yaoshanensis'' Z.X.Ren & H.Wang * ''Calanthe yueana'' Tang & F.T.Wang * ''Calanthe yuksomnensis'' Lucksom * ''Calanthe zollingeri'' Rchb.f.

Gallery

Calanthe triplicata - Flickr 003 - cropped.jpg, Calanthe triplicata, the Calanthe type species, from Florida International University R. Warner & B.S. Williams - The Orchid Album - volume 08 - plate 354 (1889).jpg, Botanical illustration of Calanthe masuca, from The Orchid Album vol. 8 Calanthe discolor.JPG, Calanthe discolor from Shiga prefecture, Japan Calanthe brevicornu - Sertum - Lindley pl. 9 (1838).jpg, Botanical illustration of Calanthe brevicornu from John Lindley's Sertum Orchidaceum Calanthe argenteostriata 02.jpg, Flowers of ''Calanthe argenteostriata'' Calanthe izu-insularis 'Mikura Otome' (Mikura Is.) (Satomi) Ohwi & Satomi, J.Ohwi, Fl. Jap., ed. rev.- 1437 (1965) (34031847852).jpg, Flowers of ''Calanthe izu-insularis''

References

{{Authority control Calanthe, Collabieae genera Taxa named by Robert Brown (botanist, born 1773)