''Neuwiedia'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...

of primitive terrestrial

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. Along with the Asteraceae, they are one of the two largest families of floweri ...

s (

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

Orchidaceae), comprising 9

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriat ...

native to

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, most populous country, with a Population of China, population exceeding 1.4 billion, slig ...

Southeast Asia Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical south-eastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of mainland ...

and certain

Pacific Islands Collectively called the Pacific Islands, the islands in the Pacific Ocean are further categorized into three major island groups: Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. Depending on the context, the term ''Pacific Islands'' may refer to one of se ...

.Flora of China v 25 p 21, 三蕊兰属 san rui lan shu, Neuwiedia Blume, Nov. Pl. Expos. 12. 1833.
/ref> The two genera in the subfamily ''

Apostasioideae Apostasioideae is one of the five subfamilies recognised within the orchid family, Orchidaceae. Only two genera, '' Neuwiedia'' and ''Apostasia'', and 15 species, are recognised within the Apostasioideae in contrast to the other orchid subfamili ...

'', '' Apostasia'' and ''Neuwiedia'', differ from most other orchids in having three stamens. Recent studies suggest that the fifteen or so species in these two genera, although exhibiting "primitive" features, are "sister" genera rather than ancestors of other orchid families. Like the genus '' Apostasia'' of the same subfamily, this genus is noted for having 3 fertile

stamen The stamen (plural ''stamina'' or ''stamens'') is the pollen-producing reproductive organ of a flower. Collectively the stamens form the androecium., p. 10 Morphology and terminology A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the fila ...

s instead of only two as in the case of other orchids. Because of this primitive characteristic, the genus was considered by some as not being true orchids. The genus was named by

Carl Ludwig von Blume Charles Ludwig de Blume or Karl Ludwig von Blume (9 June 1796, Braunschweig – 3 February 1862, Leiden) was a German-Dutch botanist. He was born at Braunschweig in Germany, but studied at Leiden University and spent his professional life work ...

in honor of

Prince Maximilian of Wied-Neuwied Prince Alexander Philipp Maximilian zu Wied-Neuwied (23 September 1782 – 3 February 1867) was a German explorer, ethnologist and naturalist. He led a pioneering expedition to southeast Brazil between 1815–1817, from which the album ''Reise na ...

(1782-1859). The genus is distributed in shaded habitats. They are tall herbs with

rhizomes In botany and dendrology, a rhizome (; , ) is a modified subterranean plant stem that sends out roots and shoots from its nodes. Rhizomes are also called creeping rootstalks or just rootstalks. Rhizomes develop from axillary buds and grow ...

and grow long, plicate

leaves A leaf ( : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, st ...

. They produce an unbranched, erect, terminal

inflorescence An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are forme ...

bearing usually white or yellow,

nodding A nod of the head is a gesture in which the head is tilted in alternating up and down arcs along the sagittal plane. In many cultures, it is most commonly, but not universally, used to indicate agreement, acceptance, or acknowledgement. To ...

flowers.

Species

The following species are recognized as of June 2014: Neuwiedia veratrifolia 1

# '' Neuwiedia borneensis'' de Vogel 1969 - Borneo # '' Neuwiedia elongata'' de Vogel 1969 - Borneo # '' Neuwiedia griffithii'' Rchb.f. 1874 - Vietnam, Malaya, Sumatra # '' Neuwiedia inae'' de Vogel 1969 - Borneo, Vietnam # '' Neuwiedia malipoensis'' Z.J.Liu, L.J.Chen & K.Wei Liu 2012 - Yunnan # '' Neuwiedia siamensis'' de Vogel 1969 -Thailand # '' Neuwiedia veratrifolia'' Blume 1834 - Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, New Guinea, Vanuatu, Solomon Islands # '' Neuwiedia zollingeri'' Rchb.f. 1857 - Hainan, Hong Kong, Yunnan, Borneo, Sumatra, Java, Bali, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam ## ''Neuwiedia zollingeri'' var. ''annamensis'' (Gagnep.) Aver - Vietnam ## ''Neuwiedia zollingeri'' var. ''javanica'' (J.J.Sm.) de Vogel - Vietnam, Borneo, Sumatra, Java, Bali ## ''Neuwiedia zollingeri'' var. ''singapureana'' (Wall. ex Baker) de Vogel - Hainan, Hong Kong, Yunnan, Thailand, Vietnam, Borneo, Sumatra, Malaysia ## ''Neuwiedia zollingeri'' var. ''zollingeri'' - Sumatra, Java

References

* 1993 - ''Apostasiads, systematic anatomy, and the origins of Orchidaceae.'' Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society 111: 411–45 * - ''A phylogenetic analysis of Apostasioideae (Orchidaceae) based on ITS, trnL-F and matK sequences''; Plant Syst. Evol. (2004) * (1999): Genera Orchidacearum Vol.1, Oxford U. Press.

External links

* * {{Taxonbar, from=Q134031 Orchid genera Terrestrial orchids