''Geodorum'', commonly known as shepherds' crooks or 地宝兰属 (di bao lan shu), is a genus of eight species of flowering plants in the orchid family, Orchidaceae. They are deciduous, terrestrial

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 medicinal ...

with underground pseudobulbs, broad, pleated leaves and small to medium-sized, tube-shaped or bell-shaped flowers on a flowering stem with a drooping end. Species in this genus are found in southern

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

, tropical Asia,

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

and islands of the southwest Pacific Ocean.

Description

Orchids in the genus ''Geodorum'' are deciduous, terrestrial herbs with pseudobulbs underground but close to the surface. There are several pleated leaves emerging from the pseudobulb, the largest at the top. Each leaf has a stalk which wraps around those below it. The flower stalk also emerges from the pseudobulb and bears a few to many bell-shaped or tubular flowers. The sepals and

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

s are similar in size and shape and do not spread widely apart from each other, so that the flowers do not open widely. The portion of the flowering stem carrying flowers droops, so that although the flowers are non-

resupinate Resupination is derived from the Latin word ''resupinus'', meaning "bent back with the face upward" or "on the back". "Resupination" is the noun form of the adjective "resupine" which means "being upside-down, supine or facing upward". The word " ...

, the labellum is the lowest part of the flower. The labellum has three lobes but lacks the spur or pouch of orchids in the similar genus ''

Eulophia ''Eulophia'', commonly known as corduroy orchids, is a genus of about two hundred species of flowering plants in the orchid family, Orchidaceae. Most ''Eulophia'' orchids are terrestrial but some are deciduous while others are evergreen. They ei ...

''.

Taxonomy and naming

The first formal description of ''Geodorum'' appeared in ''The Botanist's Repository for New, and Rare Plants'' edited by Henry Cranke Andrews. There is a description and an illustration of ''Geodorum citrinum'', now known as ''

Geodorum terrestre ''Geodorum terrestre'', commonly known as pink shepherds' crook or bent orchid, is a plant in the orchid family and is native to areas from tropical Asia to northern Australia. It is a terrestrial orchid with broad, pleated leaves and up to and ...

''. The illustration was the work of Andrews but although not recognised in the book, the description is believed to be the work of George Jackson. The name ''Geodorum'' is derived from the Ancient Greek words ''ge'' meaning "earth" and ''doron'' meaning "leaf", apparently referring to the terrestrial habit of orchids in this genus.

Species

Species accepted by the World Checklist of Selected Plant Families as of October 2018 are: * ''

Geodorum attenuatum ''Geodorum'', commonly known as shepherds' crooks or 地宝兰属 (di bao lan shu), is a genus of eight species of flowering plants in the orchid family, Orchidaceae. They are deciduous, terrestrial herbs with underground pseudobulbs, broad, ...

'' Griff. - Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, Hainan, Yunnan * ''

Geodorum densiflorum ''Geodorum densiflorum'', commonly known as pink nodding orchid or 地宝兰 (di bao lan), is a plant in the orchid family and is native to areas from tropical Asia to eastern Australia and some Pacific Islands. It is a terrestrial orchid with ...

'' ( Lam.)

Schltr. Friedrich Richard Rudolf Schlechter (16 October 1872 – 16 November 1925) was a German taxonomist, botanist, and author of several works on orchids. He went on botanical expeditions in Africa, Indonesia, New Guinea, South and Central America a ...

- Tropical and subtropical Asia to the western Pacific * '' Geodorum duperreanum''

Pierre Pierre is a masculine given name. It is a French form of the name Peter. Pierre originally meant "rock" or "stone" in French (derived from the Greek word πέτρος (''petros'') meaning "stone, rock", via Latin "petra"). It is a translation ...

- Vietnam * '' Geodorum eulophioides'' Schltr. - Guizhou, Myanmar * '' Geodorum laxiflorum'' Griff. - Assam, Orissa, Chhattisgarh * '' Geodorum recurvum'' ( Roxb.) Alston in Trimen - India, Assam, Cambodia, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, Guangdong, Hainan, Yunnan * '' Geodorum siamense'' Rolfe ex

Downie Downie or Downey is a surname. There appears to be a number of sources of the Downie/Downey surname in Scotland and Ireland, with the intermittent mix in Ulster. The spelling of the surname as Downie is almost unique to Scotland with minor instance ...

- Thailand, Myanmar, Vietnam, Cambodia * ''

'' ( L.) Garay - Bangladesh, Thailand, Cambodia, Peninsular Malaysia, Australia

Distribution

Orchids in this genus are found in India, Southeast Asia including Malaysia, the Philippines and Indonesia. There are two species endemic to

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

and others occur in New Guinea and

New Caledonia ) , anthem = "" , image_map = New Caledonia on the globe (small islands magnified) (Polynesia centered).svg , map_alt = Location of New Caledonia , map_caption = Location of New Caledonia , mapsize = 290px , subdivision_type = Sovereign st ...

. One species (''

'') occurs in Western Australia, the Northern Territory, Queensland and New South Wales.

References

* (1810) Botanist's Repository, for new, and rare plants 10: , ad pl. 626. * 2005. ''Handbuch der Orchideen-Namen. Dictionary of Orchid Names. Dizionario dei nomi delle orchidee''. Ulmer, Stuttgart * (2009) Epidendroideae (Part two). Genera Orchidacearum 5: 109 ff. Oxford University Press.

External links