''Octarrhena'', commonly known as grub orchids, is a

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (). The term angiosperm is derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek words (; 'container, vessel') and (; 'seed'), meaning that the seeds are enclosed with ...

s from the orchid family,

Orchidaceae Orchids are plants that belong to the family (biology), family Orchidaceae (), a diverse and widespread group of flowering plants with blooms that are often colourful and fragrant. Orchids are cosmopolitan distribution, cosmopolitan plants that ...

. Plants in this genus are small, orchids with short stems, thin roots, short, thick, fleshy leaves arranged in two ranks and tiny flowers. The labellum is rigidly attached to the base of the

column A column or pillar in architecture and structural engineering is a structural element that transmits, through compression, the weight of the structure above to other structural elements below. In other words, a column is a compression member ...

. There are about fifty species native to areas from

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...

and

Malesia Malesia is a biogeographical region straddling the Equator and the boundaries of the Indomalayan and Australasian realms. It is a phytogeographical floristic region in the Paleotropical kingdom. It was first recognized as a distinct region ...

to the Western

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 the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is bounded by the cont ...

Description

Orchids in the genus ''Octarrhena'' are small

epiphytic An epiphyte is a plant or plant-like organism that grows on the surface of another 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 epiphyt ...

, lithophytic or

terrestrial Terrestrial refers to things related to land or the planet Earth, as opposed to extraterrestrial. Terrestrial may also refer to: * Terrestrial animal, an animal that lives on land opposed to living in water, or sometimes an animal that lives on o ...

herbs Herbs are a widely distributed and widespread group of plants, excluding vegetables, with savory or aromatic properties that are used for flavoring and garnish (food), garnishing food, for medicinal purposes, or for fragrances. Culinary use typi ...

with thin roots and short stems with short, thick, fleshy leaves, their bases sheathing the stem. A large number of tiny, usually white, cream-coloured, yellowish or greenish flowers are arranged on a flowering stem arising from a leaf

axil A leaf (: leaves) is a principal appendage of the stem of a vascular plant, usually borne laterally above ground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, stem, fl ...

. The

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 Etymology The term ''sepalum'' ...

s and

petal Petals are modified leaves that form an inner whorl surrounding the reproductive parts of flowers. They are often brightly coloured or unusually shaped to attract pollinators. All of the petals of a flower are collectively known as the ''corol ...

s are free from each other, the petals usually much smaller than the sepals. The labellum is small, unlobed, rigidly fixed to the column and lacks a spur.

Taxonomy and naming

The genus ''Octarrhena'' was first formally described in 1861 by

George Henry Kendrick Thwaites George Henry Kendrick Thwaites (9 July 1812, Bristol – 11 September 1882, Kandy) was an English botanist and entomologist. Career Thwaites was initially an accountant and studied botany during his spare time. He was interested particularly ...

who published the description in ''Enumeratio plantarum Zeylaniae''. The name ''Octarrhena'' is derived from the

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

words ''okto'' meaning "eight" and ''arrhen'' meaning "male" or "masculine", referring the eight free

pollinia A pollinium (: pollinia) is a coherent mass of pollen grains in a plant that are the product of only one anther, but are transferred, during pollination, as a single unit. This is regularly seen in plants such as orchids and many species of milkwee ...

in the

anther The stamen (: stamina or stamens) is a part consisting of the male reproductive organs of a flower. Collectively, the stamens form the androecium., p. 10 Morphology and terminology A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filament ...

Species list

The following is a list of species of ''Octarrhena'' recognised by the

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

as at January 2019: * '' Octarrhena amesiana'' Schltr. * '' Octarrhena angraecoides'' (Schltr.) Schltr. * '' Octarrhena angustifolia'' (Schltr.) Schuit. * '' Octarrhena angustissima'' (Schltr.) Schuit. * '' Octarrhena aporoides'' (Schltr.) Schuit. * '' Octarrhena aristata'' P.Royen * '' Octarrhena bilabrata'' (P.Royen) W.Kittr. * '' Octarrhena brassii'' (L.O.Williams) Schuit. * '' Octarrhena calceiformis'' (J.J.Sm.) P.Royen * '' Octarrhena celebica'' Schltr. * '' Octarrhena cladophylax'' (Rchb.f.) P.F.Hunt * '' Octarrhena cordata'' P.Royen * '' Octarrhena cucullifera'' J.J.Sm. * '' Octarrhena cupulilabra'' P.Royen * '' Octarrhena cylindrica'' J.J.Sm * '' Octarrhena cymbiformis'' J.J.Sm. * '' Octarrhena elmeri'' (Ames) Ames * '' Octarrhena ensifolia'' (Ames) Schltr. * '' Octarrhena exigua'' Schltr. * '' Octarrhena falcifolia'' (Schltr.) Schuit. * '' Octarrhena filiformis'' (L.O.Williams) P.Royen ** ''Octarrhena filiformis'' var. ''brachyphylla'' (L.O.Williams) P.Royen ** ''Octarrhena filiformis'' var. ''filiformis'' ** ''Octarrhena filiformis'' var. ''glabra'' P.Royen * '' Octarrhena firmula'' Schltr. * '' Octarrhena gemmifera'' Ames * '' Octarrhena gibbosa'' J.J.Sm. * '' Octarrhena goliathensis'' J.J.Sm. * '' Octarrhena gracilis'' (L.O.Williams) Schuit. * '' Octarrhena hastipetala'' J.J.Sm. * '' Octarrhena latipetala'' (J.J.Sm.) Schuit. * '' Octarrhena lorentzii'' J.J.Sm. * '' Octarrhena macgregorii'' (Schltr.) Schltr. * '' Octarrhena mendumiana'' Schuit. & de Vogel * '' Octarrhena miniata'' (Schltr.) Schltr. * '' Octarrhena minuscula'' Aver. & Duy * ''

Octarrhena oberonioides ''Octarrhena'', commonly known as grub orchids, is a genus of flowering plants from the orchid family, Orchidaceae. Plants in this genus are small, orchids with short stems, thin roots, short, thick, fleshy leaves arranged in two ranks and tiny f ...

'' (Schltr.) Schltr. * '' Octarrhena obovata'' (J.J.Sm.) P.Royen * ''

Octarrhena parvula ''Octarrhena'', commonly known as grub orchids, is a genus of flowering plants from the orchid family, Orchidaceae. Plants in this genus are small, orchids with short stems, thin roots, short, thick, fleshy leaves arranged in two ranks and tiny f ...

'' Thwaites * '' Octarrhena platyrachis'' P.Royen * '' Octarrhena podochiloides'' (Schltr.) Schuit. * '' Octarrhena purpureiocellata'' P.Royen * '' Octarrhena pusilla'' (F.M.Bailey) Dockrill * '' Octarrhena reflexa'' (J.J.Sm.) Schuit. * '' Octarrhena saccolabioides'' (Schltr.) Schltr. * '' Octarrhena salmonea'' P.Royen * '' Octarrhena spathulata'' (Schltr.) Schuit. * '' Octarrhena tenuis'' (J.J.Sm.) J.J.Sm. * '' Octarrhena torricellensis'' Schltr.. * '' Octarrhena trigona'' (J.J.Sm.) P.Royen * '' Octarrhena umbellulata'' Schltr. * '' Octarrhena uniflora'' Schuit. & de Vogel * '' Octarrhena vanvuurenii'' J.J.Sm. * '' Octarrhena vitellina'' (Ridl.) Schltr. * '' Octarrhena wariana'' Schltr.

Distribution

Orchids in the genus ''Octarrhena'' are found in Sri Lanka,

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, the

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, the

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, the

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and the

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References

External links

* {{Taxonbar, from=Q1303490 Podochileae genera