''Ipsea'' 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 n ...

of 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 flowering ...

), with three species that are found in

India India, officially the Republic of India ( Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the ...

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

and

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...

.Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
/ref> Three species are recognized: *''

Ipsea malabarica ''Ipsea malabarica'', the Malabar daffodil orchid, is a species of ground orchids endemic to the high altitude hills of the southern Western Ghats in India. It was not seen in the wild for many years after its description and was rediscovered by ...

'' (Rchb.f.) Hook.f. - southern India *''

Ipsea speciosa ''Ipsea speciosa'',Lindl, Gen. et Sp. Orch. 124.1831: Trimen, Handbook to the Flora of Ceylon the daffodil orchid, is a rare wild orchid found in the hills of Sri Lanka and southern India. It is a terrestrial herb with pseudobulbous stem. The la ...

'' Lindl. - southern India, Sri Lanka *''

Ipsea thailandica ''Ipsea'' is a genus of the Orchid family (Orchidaceae), with three species that are found in India, Sri Lanka and Thailand. Three species are recognized: *'' Ipsea malabarica'' (Rchb.f.) Hook.f. - southern India *'' Ipsea speciosa'' Lindl. - s ...

'' Seidenf. - Thailand The genus was erected by

John Lindley 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 ...

in 1831 with the type species ''I. speciosa'' which was discovered in Nuwara Eliya, Sri Lanka in 1829 by James Macrae. A similar species was found by Jerdon and was doubtfully considered as a new species by

Robert Wight Robert Wight MD FRS FLS (6 July 1796 – 26 May 1872) was a Scottish surgeon in the East India Company, whose professional career was spent entirely in southern India, where his greatest achievements were in botany – as an economic botani ...

. This was later described as ''Ipsea malabarica'', restricted to Silent Valley in northern Kerala. This endangered species with a very narrow distribution range grows on steep mountain slopes in moist rocky and sunny areas in association with ''Tripogon bromoides'', ''T. ananthaswamianus'', ''Eulalia'' sp., ''Fimbristylis'' sp., ''Utricularia coerulea'', ''Drosera burmanni'', ''Eriocaulon truncatum'' and other such plants. They flower from October to December.

References

External links

* * {{Taxonbar, from=Q3308286 Collabieae genera Orchids of India Orchids of Sri Lanka Orchids of Thailand