Traunsteinera, the round headed orchid, or globe orchid, is a genus of flowering plants from the orchid family, Orchidaceae.

Traunsteinera
Traunsteinera globosa
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Asparagales
Family: Orchidaceae
Subfamily: Orchidoideae
Tribe: Orchideae
Subtribe: Orchidinae
Genus: Traunsteinera
Rchb.
Type species
Traunsteinera globosa
Synonyms[1]

Orchites Schur

Description

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Traunsteinera species are terrestrial, perennial plants (geophytes), which overwinter with two ovate root nodules.

They are slender, up to 60 cm high plants. The flower stem has no leaf rosette but scattered stem leaves.

The inflorescence is very dense, with dozens of small flowers in an initially cone-shaped, later spherical to spherical spike. The perianth petals are oval in shape, with a long spatulate spire, forming a helmet. The lip is three-lobed, with a thin, curved spur. The gynostemium is short and obtuse, the rostellum three-lobed.

Distribution

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The species[clarification needed] is rare and occurs locally in the medium and high mountain ranges from the temperate regions of Europe to the Caucasus. Plants are found growing in neutral to calcareous, moist or dry soils in sunny places such as calcareous grasslands and alpine meadows. In medium and high mountain ranges from 1000-3000 m.

Taxonomy

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Traunsteinera is named after the Austrian pharmacist and botanist Joseph Traunsteiner (1798–1850). The scientific name was published in 1842 by Heinrich Gottlieb Ludwig Reichenbach.

Species

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There are two known species, native to Europe, Turkey and the Caucasus.[1][2][3]

Image Name Distribution Elevation (m)
  Traunsteinera globosa (L.) Rchb. 1842 widespread from Spain east to Ukraine and Turkey, including France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Romania, etc. 1,000–2,700 metres (3,300–8,900 ft)
  Traunsteinera sphaerica (M.Bieb.) Schltr. 1928 Turkey and the Caucasus 1,000–3,000 metres (3,300–9,800 ft)

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
  2. ^ Altervista Flora Italiana, Orchide dei pascoli, Round Headed Orchid, Traunsteinera globosa (L.) Rchb., Fl. Saxon.: 87. 1842
  3. ^ Pridgeon, A.M., Cribb, P.J., Chase, M.C. & Rasmussen, F.N. (2001). Orchidoideae (Part 1). Genera Orchidacearum 2: 1-416. Oxford University Press, New York, Oxford.
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