Pomatocalpa | |
---|---|
Pomatocalpa undulatum | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Monocots |
Order: | Asparagales |
Family: | Orchidaceae |
Subfamily: | Epidendroideae |
Tribe: | Vandeae |
Subtribe: | Aeridinae |
Genus: |
Pomatocalpa Breda [1] |
Pomatocalpa, commonly known as bladder orchids, [2] or 鹿角兰属 (lu jiao lan shu), [3] is a genus of about twenty five species from the orchid family, Orchidaceae. Plants in this genus are epiphytes or lithophytes with thick, leathery leaves and a large number of small flowers with a three-lobed labellum. There are about twenty five species found from tropical and subtropical Asia to the south-west Pacific.
Orchids in the genus Pomatocalpa are monopodial epiphytic or lithophytic herbs with long, thick roots attached to the substrate, with fibrous stems and long-lasting leaves arranged in two rows with their bases obscuring the stems. A large number of relatively small flowers are arranged on a panicle or raceme and with sepals and petals that are similar to each other and a labellum that has three lobes. [2] [3] [4] [5]
The genus Pomatocalpa was first formally described in 1829 by Breda in Genera et Species Orchidearum et Asclepiadearum. The type species is Pomatocalpa spicatum. [6] The name Pomatocalpa is derived from the Ancient Greek words pomatos meaning "cover", "lid", "operculum" or "gill-cover" [7]: 183 and kalpe meaning "vessel for drawing water", "pitcher" or "urn", [7]: 627 referring to the deeply pouched labellum. [4]
Species list: The following is a list of species accepted by the World Checklist of Selected Plant Families as of December 2018: [1]
Species in the genus Pomatocalpa are found from tropical and substropical Asia to the southwest Pacific. [1]