''Zeuxine'', commonly known as verdant jewel 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 ...
of about eighty species of
orchid
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. Orchids are cosmopolitan plants that are found in almost every habitat on Eart ...
s in the tribe
Cranichideae. They are
native
Native may refer to:
People
* '' Jus sanguinis'', nationality by blood
* '' Jus soli'', nationality by location of birth
* Indigenous peoples, peoples with a set of specific rights based on their historical ties to a particular territory
** Nat ...
to parts of tropical
Africa
Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...
,
Asia
Asia ( , ) is the largest continent in the world by both land area and population. It covers an area of more than 44 million square kilometres, about 30% of Earth's total land area and 8% of Earth's total surface area. The continent, which ...
,
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, southeastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of China, east of the Indian subcontinent, and northwest of the Mainland Au ...
,
New Guinea
New Guinea (; Hiri Motu: ''Niu Gini''; , fossilized , also known as Papua or historically ) is the List of islands by area, world's second-largest island, with an area of . Located in Melanesia in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, the island is ...
,
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
and some
Pacific Islands
The Pacific islands are a group of islands in the Pacific Ocean. They are further categorized into three major island groups: Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. Depending on the context, the term ''Pacific Islands'' may refer to one of several ...
. They have relatively narrow, dark green leaves and small, dull-coloured
resupinate flowers with the
dorsal
Dorsal (from Latin ''dorsum'' ‘back’) may refer to:
* Dorsal (anatomy), an anatomical term of location referring to the back or upper side of an organism or parts of an organism
* Dorsal, positioned on top of an aircraft's fuselage
The fus ...
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'' ...
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 overlapping to form a hood over 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 ...
. The
labellum has a pouched base and its tip has two lobes.
Description
Orchids in the genus ''Zeuxine'' are
terrestrial,
perennial
In horticulture, the term perennial ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the year") is used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. It has thus been defined as a plant that lives more than 2 years. The term is also ...
,
deciduous
In the fields of horticulture and botany, the term deciduous () means "falling off at maturity" and "tending to fall off", in reference to trees and shrubs that seasonally shed Leaf, leaves, usually in the autumn; to the shedding of petals, aft ...
,
sympodial
In botany, sympodial growth is a bifurcating branching pattern where one branch develops more strongly than the other, resulting in the stronger branches forming the primary shoot and the weaker branches appearing laterally. A sympodium, als ...
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 a fleshy, creeping, above-ground
rhizome
In botany and dendrology, a rhizome ( ) is a modified subterranean plant stem that sends out roots and Shoot (botany), shoots from its Node (botany), nodes. Rhizomes are also called creeping rootstalks or just rootstalks. Rhizomes develop from ...
anchored by wiry roots. The leaves are thinly textured and stalked, arranged in a
rosette at the base of the flowering stem or scattered along it. Small, resupinate dull-coloured flowers are often crowded along the short flowering stem which usually has protruding
bract
In botany, a bract is a modified or specialized leaf, associated with a reproductive structure such as a flower, inflorescence axis or cone scale.
Bracts are usually different from foliage leaves in size, color, shape or texture. They also lo ...
s. The dorsal sepal and petals overlap, forming a hood over the column. The
lateral
Lateral is a geometric term of location which may also refer to:
Biology and healthcare
* Lateral (anatomy), a term of location meaning "towards the side"
* Lateral cricoarytenoid muscle, an intrinsic muscle of the larynx
* Lateral release ( ...
sepals overlap the base of the
labellum which is usually white, has a pouched base and a number of stalkless
glands
A gland is a Cell (biology), cell or an Organ (biology), organ in an animal's body that produces and secretes different substances that the organism needs, either into the bloodstream or into a body cavity or outer surface. A gland may also funct ...
. The column is short with two stigmas.
Taxonomy and naming
The genus ''Zeuxine'' was first formally described in 1826 by
John Lindley
John Lindley Fellow of the Royal Society, FRS (5 February 1799 – 1 November 1865) was an English botanist, gardener and orchidology, orchidologist.
Early years
Born in Old Catton, Catton, near Norwich, England, John Lindley was one of four c ...
who gave it the name ''Zeuxina'' but ''Zeuxine'' is the
nom. cons. The description was published in the appendix of ''Collectanea Botanica''.
The name ''Zeuxine'' is derived from the
Latin
Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...
word ''zeuxis'' meaning "joining" or "yoking"
in apparent reference to either the partly fused column or to the
pollinia.
Distribution and habitat
Plants in the genus ''Zeuxine'' usually grow in dark, moist forests where the humidity is always high or near swamps and seepage areas. They occur in tropical regions between Africa and Asia, in Southeast Asia, New Guinea, Australia and some Pacific Islands. Fourteen species are
endemic
Endemism is the state of a species being found only 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 foun ...
to China and ten in
Taiwan
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...
. ''
Zeuxine strateumatica'' is
naturalised on the
Hawaiian Islands
The Hawaiian Islands () are an archipelago of eight major volcanic islands, several atolls, and numerous smaller islets in the Pacific Ocean, North Pacific Ocean, extending some from the Hawaii (island), island of Hawaii in the south to nort ...
and in the south-eastern
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
.
List of species
The following is a list of species of ''Zeuxine'' 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 August 2018:
*''
Zeuxine affinis''
(Lindl.) Benth. ex Hook.f.
*''
Zeuxine africana''
Rchb.f.
*''
Zeuxine agyokuana''
Fukuy.
*''
Zeuxine amboinensis''
(J.J.Sm.) J.J.Sm.
*''
Zeuxine andamanica''
King & Pantl.
*''
Zeuxine arisanensis''
Hayata
*''
Zeuxine baliensis''
J.J.Sm.
*''
Zeuxine ballii''
P.J.Cribb
*''
Zeuxine bifalcifera''
J.J.Sm.
*''
Zeuxine blatteri''
C.E.C.Fisch.
*''
Zeuxine bougainvilleana''
Ormerod
*''
Zeuxine chowdheryi''
Av.Bhattacharjee & Sabap.
*''
Zeuxine clandestina''
Blume
*''
Zeuxine cordata''
(Lindl.) Ormerod
*''
Zeuxine curvata''
Schltr.
*''
Zeuxine diversifolia''
Ormerod
*''
Zeuxine elatior''
Schltr.
*''
Zeuxine elmeri''
(Ames) Ames
*''
Zeuxine elongata''
Rolfe
*''
Zeuxine erimae''
Schltr. in K.M.Schumann & C.A.G.Lauterbach
*''
Zeuxine exilis''
Ridl.
*''
Zeuxine flava''
(Wall. ex Lindl.) Trimen
*''
Zeuxine fritzii''
Schltr.
*''
Zeuxine gengmanensis''
(K.Y.Lang) Ormerod
*''
Zeuxine gilgiana''
Kraenzl. & Schltr.
*''
Zeuxine glandulosa''
King & Pantl.
*''
Zeuxine goodyeroides''
Lindl.
*''
Zeuxine gracilis''
(Breda) Blume
*''
Zeuxine integrilabella''
C.S.Leou
*''
Zeuxine kantokeiensis''
Tatew. & Masam.
*''
Zeuxine kutaiensis''
J.J.Sm.
*''
Zeuxine lancifolia''
(Ames) Ormerod
*''
Zeuxine leucoptera''
Schltr.
*''
Zeuxine leytensis''
(Ames) Ames
*''
Zeuxine lindleyana''
T.Cooke
*''
Zeuxine longilabris''
(Lindl.) Trimen
*''
Zeuxine lunulata''
P.J.Cribb & J.Bowden
*''
Zeuxine macrorhyncha''
Schltr.
*''
Zeuxine madagascariensis''
Schltr.
*''
Zeuxine marivelensis''
(Ames) Ames
*''
Zeuxine membranacea''
Lindl.
*''
Zeuxine mindanaensis''
(Ames) Ormerod
*''
Zeuxine montana''
Schltr. in K.M.Schumann & C.A.G.Lauterbach
*''
Zeuxine mooneyi''
S.Misra
*''
Zeuxine nervosa''
(Wall. ex Lindl.) Benth. ex Trimen
*''
Zeuxine niijimai''
Tatew. & Masam.
*''
Zeuxine oblonga''
R.S.Rogers & C.T.White
*''
Zeuxine odorata''
Fukuy.
*''
Zeuxine ovalifolia''
L.Li & S.J.Li
*''
Zeuxine ovata''
(Gaudich.) Garay & W.Kittr.
*''
Zeuxine palawensis''
Tuyama
*''
Zeuxine palustris''
Ridl.
*''
Zeuxine papillosa''
Carr
*''
Zeuxine parvifolia''
(Ridl.) Seidenf.
*''
Zeuxine petakensis''
J.J.Sm.
*''
Zeuxine philippinensis''
(Ames) Ames
*''
Zeuxine plantaginea''
(Rchb.f.) Benth. & Hook.f. ex Drake
*''
Zeuxine purpurascens''
Blume
*''
Zeuxine reflexa''
King & Pantl.
*''
Zeuxine regia''
(Lindl.) Trimen
*''
Zeuxine reginasilvae''
Ormerod
*''
Zeuxine rolfeana''
King & Pantl.
*''
Zeuxine rupestris''
Ridl.
*''
Zeuxine samoensis''
Schltr.
*''
Zeuxine stammleri''
Schltr.
*''
Zeuxine stenophylla''
(Rchb.f.) Benth. & Hook.f. ex Drake
*''
Zeuxine strateumatica''
(L.) Schltr.
*''
Zeuxine tenuifolia''
Tuyama
*''
Zeuxine tjiampeana''
J.J.Sm.
*''
Zeuxine tonkinensis''
Gagnep.
*''
Zeuxine triangula''
J.J.Sm.
*''
Zeuxine vietnamica''
Aver.
*''
Zeuxine violascens''
Ridl.
*''
Zeuxine viridiflora''
(J.J.Sm.) Schltr.
**''
Zeuxine viridiflora'' var. ''latifolia''
J.J.Sm.
**''
Zeuxine viridiflora'' var. ''viridiflora''.
*''
Zeuxine weberi''
(Ames) Ames
*''
Zeuxine wenzelii''
(Ames) Ormerod
References
External links
*
{{Taxonbar, from=Q782311
Cranichideae genera