Pseudovanilla, commonly known as giant climbing orchids, is a genus of eight climbing orchids in the family Orchidaceae. Orchids in this genus have tall climbing stems with clinging roots, leaf-like bracts and branching flowering stems with colourful, spreading sepals and petals. Species in the genus are native to Indonesia, the Philippines, New Guinea, Australia, Solomons, Micronesia and Fiji.[1][2]

Giant climbing orchid
Pseudovanilla foliata
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Asparagales
Family: Orchidaceae
Subfamily: Vanilloideae
Tribe: Vanilleae
Genus: Pseudovanilla
Garay[1]
Type species
Ledgeria foliata F.Muell.

The genus was first formally described in 1986 by Leslie Andrew Garay in Botanical Museum Leaflets, the name Pseudovanilla meaning "false vanilla", a "reference to the casual similarity of the plants to both genera". Garay nominated Ledgeria foliata (now Pseudovanilla foliata as the type species.[3]

List of species

edit

The following is a list of species of Pseudovanilla recognised by the Plants of the World Online as at April 2024:[4]

References

edit
  1. ^ a b c "Pseudovanilla". Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 4 April 2024.
  2. ^ Pridgeon, A.M., Cribb, P.J., Chase, M.C. & Rasmussen, F.N. (2003). Genera Orchidacearum 3: 319. Oxford University Press, New York, Oxford.
  3. ^ Garay, Leslie A. (1986). "Olim Vanillaceae". Botanical Museum Leaflets. 30 (4): 234–237. Retrieved 4 April 2024.
  4. ^ "Pseudovanilla". Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 4 April 2024.
edit

  Media related to Pseudovanilla at Wikimedia Commons