Orchidaceae family is the biggest among the flowering plants comprising of
nearly 36,000 species spread across the world from hot tropics to the
arctics. They can be identified by their unique third petal which is
modified in extraordinary structures to attract pollinations; androecium
and gynoecium which is fused to form a gynostemium; anther which is
modified to form waxy or powdery pollinia apart from velamnous roots.
Family Orchidaceae is grouped into 5 subfamilies namely:
Apostasioideae
Vanilloideae
Cypripedioideae
Orchidoideae
Epidendroideae
Keys for subfamilies (Barretto et al. 2011: Orchids of Hong Kong)
1. Stamens 2 or 3
............................................................. 2
Stamen solitary
............................................................ 3
2. Flowers actinomorphic or sub-regular;
lateral sepals free; lip petal-like, sometimes
broader; column fused only at the base of the
filaments; anthers 2 or 3, erect above lip;
stigma terminal .........................................APOSTASIOIDEAE
Flowers zygomorphic; lateral sepals
usually fused almost to the apex;
lip usually deeply saccate or
urn-shaped; column with 2 lateral
anthers and a terminal, sheild
shaped staminode; stigma
ventral, stalked ...............................................
CYPRIPEDIOIDEAE
3. Plant usually terrestrial, growing
from tubers or a horizontal fleshy
rhizome; pollinia segmented,
comprised of massulae, or mealy .............. ORCHIDOIDEAE
Plants usually epiphytic or lithophytic,
ocassionally terrestrial or liana-like,
usually growing from cylindrical stems
or pseudobulbs borne on woody or
tough rhizomes; pollinia mealy or
hard, often attached by a stalk
to a sticky viscidium ........................................... 4
4. Plants vinous (or terrestrial);
stem cylindrical, never with
pseudobulbs; pollinia 2 powdery,
arranged in monads or tetrads, lacking
stipes and distinct viscidium ......................... VANILLOIDEAE
Plant epiphytic, lithophytic or
ocassionally terrestrial; stems
cylindrical and/or with pseudobulbs;
pollinia 2, 4, 6, 8, usually hard, rarely
sectile, often attached by 1 or 2 stipes
to 1 or 2 distinct viscidia .................................
EPIDENDROIDEAE
--
***********************************************************
Pankaj Kumar, Ph.D.
IUCN-SSC Orchid Specialist Group Asia
Office:
Conservation Officer
Orchid Conservation Section
Flora Conservation Department
Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden (KFBG) Corporation
Lam Kam Road, Tai Po, New Territories, Hong Kong.
Residence:
151, 1st Floor, Tai Om Tsuen
Lam Tsuen, Tai Po, New Territories, Hong Kong.
email: [email protected] <javascript:;>; [email protected] <javascript:;>
Phone: +852 2483 7128 (office - 8:30am to 5:00pm); +852 9436 6251 (mobile).
Fax: +852 2483 7194
--
***********************************************************
Pankaj Kumar, Ph.D.
IUCN-SSC Orchid Specialist Group Asia
Office:
Conservation Officer
Orchid Conservation Section
Flora Conservation Department
Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden (KFBG) Corporation
Lam Kam Road, Tai Po, New Territories, Hong Kong.
Residence:
151, 1st Floor, Tai Om Tsuen
Lam Tsuen, Tai Po, New Territories, Hong Kong.
email: [email protected]; [email protected]
Phone: +852 2483 7128 (office - 8:30am to 5:00pm); +852 9436 6251 (mobile).
Fax: +852 2483 7194
--
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