''Elythranthera'', commonly known as enamel orchids, was a previously accepted
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 n ...
of
flowering plant
Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. They include all forbs (flowering plants without a woody stem), grasses and grass-like plants, a vast majority of ...
s in the orchid family,
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 flowering ...
. It contained two species and a named hybrid, all
endemic
Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found els ...
to the
south-west of Western Australia. The genus was first formally described in 1963 by the Australian botanist
Alex George Alexander or Alex George may refer to:
* Alex George (botanist) (born 1939), Australian botanist
*Alexander L. George (1920–2006), American political scientist
*Alexander George (philosopher), American philosopher
* Alex George (motorcyclist), Sc ...
who published his description in ''Western Australian Naturalist''. Orchids in the
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 n ...
''Elythranthera'' had previously been included in ''Glossodia''
section
Section, Sectioning or Sectioned may refer to:
Arts, entertainment and media
* Section (music), a complete, but not independent, musical idea
* Section (typography), a subdivision, especially of a chapter, in books and documents
** Section sign ...
''Elythranthera''.
Two species were recognised:
*''Elythranthera brunonis''
(Endl.
Stephan Ladislaus Endlicher also known as Endlicher István László (24 June 1804, Bratislava (Pozsony) – 28 March 1849, Vienna) was an Austrian botanist, numismatist and Sinologist. He was a director of the Botanical Garden of Vienna.
...
) A.S.George now known as ''
Caladenia brunonis
''Caladenia brunonis'', commonly known as the purple enamel orchid, is a plant in the orchid family Orchidaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a ground orchid with a single flattened, hairy leaf and up to three glos ...
''
(Endl.
Stephan Ladislaus Endlicher also known as Endlicher István László (24 June 1804, Bratislava (Pozsony) – 28 March 1849, Vienna) was an Austrian botanist, numismatist and Sinologist. He was a director of the Botanical Garden of Vienna.
...
) Rchb.f.
Heinrich Gustav Reichenbach (Dresden, 3 January 1823 – Hamburg, 6 May 1889) was a botanist and the foremost German orchidologist of the 19th century. His father Heinrich Gottlieb Ludwig Reichenbach (author of ''Icones Florae Germanicae et Helv ...
- purple enamel orchid;
*''Elythranthera emarginata''
(Lindl.
John Lindley FRS (5 February 1799 – 1 November 1865) was an English botanist, gardener and orchidologist.
Early years
Born in Catton, near Norwich, England, John Lindley was one of four children of George and Mary Lindley. George Lindley w ...
) A.S.George now known as ''
Caladenia emarginata
''Caladenia emarginata'', commonly known as the pink enamel orchid, is a plant in the orchid family Orchidaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a ground orchid with a single flattened, hairy leaf and up to four gloss ...
''
(Lindl.
John Lindley FRS (5 February 1799 – 1 November 1865) was an English botanist, gardener and orchidologist.
Early years
Born in Catton, near Norwich, England, John Lindley was one of four children of George and Mary Lindley. George Lindley w ...
) Rchb.f. - pink enamel orchid.
A hybrid between the two species was known as ''Elythranthera x intermedia''.
(Fitzg.
Robert David FitzGerald (or possibly Robert Desmond FitzGerald) (30 November 1830 – 12 August 1892) was an Irish-Australian surveyor, ornithologist, botanist and poet.
Whilst working as a public servant FitzGerald's private passion and ability ...
) M.A.Clem
In 2015, as a result of studies of
molecular phylogenetics
Molecular phylogenetics () is the branch of phylogeny that analyzes genetic, hereditary molecular differences, predominantly in DNA sequences, to gain information on an organism's evolutionary relationships. From these analyses, it is possible to ...
,
transferred the two ''Elythranthera'' species to ''
Caladenia
''Caladenia'', commonly known as spider orchids, is a genus of 350 species of plants in the orchid family, Orchidaceae. Spider orchids are terrestrial herbs with a single hairy leaf and a hairy stem. The labellum is fringed or toothed in most s ...
''.
Although the change from ''Elythranthera'' to ''Caladenia'' is recognised by
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew is a non-departmental public body in the United Kingdom sponsored by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. An internationally important botanical research and education institution, it employs 1,10 ...
,
"''Elythranthera''" is still used by Australian herbaria, including the
Western Australian Herbarium
The Western Australian Herbarium is the State Herbarium in Perth, Western Australia.
It is part of the State government's Department of Parks and Wildlife, and has responsibility for the description and documentation of the flora of Western Aust ...
.
References
Orchids of Australia
Diurideae genera
Caladeniinae
Plants described in 1963
Historically recognized angiosperm genera
{{Australia-plant-stub