Taeniophyllum, commonly known as ribbon roots
Description
Orchids in the genus
Taeniophyllum are small epiphytic or lithophytic
monopodial Herbaceous plant, with the leaves reduced to tiny overlapping, brownish scales. There is a short stem with spreading grey or greenish roots which are photosynthetic, mainly in the rainy season. In the absence of
, the photosynthetic roots will use specialized aeration cells to absorb nocturnal CO
2.
[ Leaf-like photosynthesis discovered in the roots of a leafless orchid] The flowers are small, arranged on a short flowering stem and only last for about a day. The
and
are either free and spread widely apart from each other or joined near the base to form a tube. The labellum sometimes has three lobes and usually has a sac-like spur.
Taxonomy and naming
The genus
Taeniophyllum was first formally described in 1825 by Carl Ludwig Blume who published the description in
Bijdragen tot de Flora van Nederlandsch Indie.
The name
Taeniophyllum is derived from the
Ancient Greek words
tainia meaning "ribbon", "fillet", "band", "stripe" or "tapeworm"
and
phyllon meaning "leaf".
Distribution
Plants in this genus are found in Africa from
Ghana to
Zimbabwe, in tropical and subtropical Asia including
India,
China,
Japan and
Korea, in
Southeast Asia including
Thailand,
Vietnam and
Indonesia, in
New Guinea,
Australia and some Pacific islands including
Fiji,
New Caledonia and
Tonga.
Species
See List of
Taeniophyllum species
See also
-
List of Orchidaceae genera
External links
