''Pomatocalpa'', commonly known as bladder orchids, or 鹿角兰属 (lu jiao lan shu), 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 about twenty five species from the orchid

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 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 flowerin ...

. Plants in this genus are

epiphyte An epiphyte is an organism that grows on the surface of a plant and derives its moisture and nutrients from the air, rain, water (in marine environments) or from debris accumulating around it. The plants on which epiphytes grow are called phoroph ...

s or lithophytes with thick, leathery leaves and a large number of small flowers with a three-lobed labellum. There are about twenty five species found from

tropical The tropics are the regions of Earth surrounding the Equator. They are defined in latitude by the Tropic of Cancer in the Northern Hemisphere at N and the Tropic of Capricorn in the Southern Hemisphere at S. The tropics are also referred to ...

and

subtropical The subtropical zones or subtropics are geographical and climate zones to the north and south of the tropics. Geographically part of the temperate zones of both hemispheres, they cover the middle latitudes from to approximately 35° north a ...

Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an are ...

to the south-west

Pacific The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the contine ...

Description

Orchids in the genus ''Pomatocalpa'' are

monopodial Vascular plants with monopodial growth habits grow upward from a single point. They add leaves to the apex each year and the stem grows longer accordingly. The word ''Monopodial'' is derived from Greek "mono-", ''one'' and "podial", "foot", in ref ...

epiphytic or lithophytic

herbs In general use, herbs are a widely distributed and widespread group of plants, excluding vegetables and other plants consumed for macronutrients, with savory or aromatic properties that are used for flavoring and garnishing food, for medicina ...

with long, thick roots attached to the substrate, with fibrous stems and long-lasting leaves arranged in two rows with their bases obscuring the stems. A large number of relatively small flowers are arranged on a

panicle A panicle is a much-branched inflorescence. (softcover ). Some authors distinguish it from a compound spike inflorescence, by requiring that the flowers (and fruit) be pedicellate (having a single stem per flower). The branches of a panicle are of ...

raceme A raceme ( or ) or racemoid is an unbranched, indeterminate type of inflorescence bearing flowers having short floral stalks along the shoots that bear the flowers. The oldest flowers grow close to the base and new flowers are produced as the s ...

and with

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 The term ''sepalum'' was coine ...

s and

petal Petals are modified leaves that surround the reproductive parts of flowers. They are often brightly colored or unusually shaped to attract pollinators. All of the petals of a flower are collectively known as the ''corolla''. Petals are usuall ...

s that are similar to each other and a labellum that has three lobes.

Taxonomy and naming

The genus ''Pomatocalpa'' was first formally described in 1829 by

Breda Breda () is a city and municipality in the southern part of the Netherlands, located in the province of North Brabant. The name derived from ''brede Aa'' ('wide Aa' or 'broad Aa') and refers to the confluence of the rivers Mark and Aa. Breda has ...

in ''Genera et Species Orchidearum et Asclepiadearum''. The

type species In zoological nomenclature, a type species (''species typica'') is the species name with which the name of a genus or subgenus is considered to be permanently taxonomically associated, i.e., the species that contains the biological type specim ...

is '' Pomatocalpa spicatum''. The name ''Pomatocalpa'' is derived from the

Ancient Greek Ancient Greek includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Dark Ages (), the Archaic pe ...

words ''pomatos'' meaning "cover", "lid", "operculum" or "gill-cover" and ''kalpe'' meaning "vessel for drawing water", "pitcher" or "urn", referring to the deeply pouched labellum. Species list: The following is a list of species accepted by the

World Checklist of Selected Plant Families The World Checklist of Selected Plant Families (usually abbreviated to WCSP) is an "international collaborative programme that provides the latest peer reviewed and published opinions on the accepted scientific names and synonyms of selected pla ...

as of December 2018: * '' Pomatocalpa angustifolium'' Seidenf. - Thailand, Vietnam * '' Pomatocalpa arachnanthe'' (Ridl.) J.J.Sm. - Malaysia * '' Pomatocalpa armigerum'' (King & Pantl.) Tang & F.T.Wang - Assam, Bhutan * '' Pomatocalpa bambusarum'' (King & Pantl.) Garay - Assam, Bhutan * '' Pomatocalpa bhutanicum'' N.P.Balakr. - Bhutan * '' Pomatocalpa bicolor'' (Lindl.) J.J.Sm. - Philippines * '' Pomatocalpa decipiens'' (Lindl.) J.J.Sm. - India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka * '' Pomatocalpa diffusum'' Breda - Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines * '' Pomatocalpa floresanum'' J.J.Sm. - Flores * '' Pomatocalpa fuscum'' (Lindl.) J.J.Sm. - Malaysia, Borneo, Philippines * '' Pomatocalpa grande'' Seidenf. - Vietnam * '' Pomatocalpa incurvum'' (J.J.Sm.) J.J.Sm. - New Guinea, Solomons * '' Pomatocalpa kunstleri'' (Hook.f.) J.J.Sm. - Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines * '' Pomatocalpa leucanthum'' (Schltr.) Schltr. - New Guinea * '' Pomatocalpa linearipetalum'' J.J.Sm. - Seram * '' Pomatocalpa macphersonii'' (F.Muell.) T.E.Hunt - New Guinea, Queensland * '' Pomatocalpa maculosum'' (Lindl.) J.J.Sm. - widespread from Sri Lanka and Bhutan to Java and the Philippines ** ''Pomatocalpa maculosum'' subsp. ''andamanicum'' (Hook.f.) Watthana ** ''Pomatocalpa maculosum'' subsp. ''maculosum'' * '' Pomatocalpa marsupiale'' (Kraenzl.) J.J.Sm. - Queensland, Maluku, Sulawesi, New Guinea, Solomons, Vanuatu * '' Pomatocalpa parvum'' (Ridl.) J.J.Sm. - Pahang * '' Pomatocalpa simalurense'' J.J.Sm . - Simeuluë * '' Pomatocalpa sphaetophorum'' (Schltr.) J.J.Sm. - Borneo * '' Pomatocalpa spicatum'' Breda, Kuhl & Hasselt - Hainan, Assam, Bhutan, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Indochina, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines * '' Pomatocalpa tonkinense'' (Gagnep.) Seidenf. - Vietnam, Laos * '' Pomatocalpa truncatum'' (J.J.Sm.) J.J.Sm. - Borneo * '' Pomatocalpa undulatum'' (Lindl.) J.J.Sm - Assam, Bangladesh, Taiwan ** ''Pomatocalpa undulatum'' subsp. ''acuminatum'' (Rolfe) Watthana ** ''Pomatocalpa undulatum'' subsp. ''undulatum''

Distribution

Species in the genus ''Pomatocalpa'' are found from

and substropical

to the southwest

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1319675 Vandeae genera Aeridinae

Description

Taxonomy and naming

Distribution

See also

References