肥根兰属 fei gen lan shu

Authors: Xinqi Chen, Stephan W. Gale & Phillip J. Cribb

Adnula Rafinesque; Collea Lindley.

Herbs, terrestrial, lithophytic, or rarely epiphytic. Rhizome absent, inconspicuous, or long; roots numerous, fleshy. Leaves usually forming a basal rosette, rarely cauline, several to many, lanceolate to ovate, petiole-like at base; petiole-like base slender or stout, channeled. Inflorescence erect, terminal, racemose, proximally glabrous, pubescent above; peduncle covered by several sheathing bracts. Flowers sometimes produced before leaves, resupinate, erect or horizontal, medium-sized, tubular; ovary fusiform, pubescent. Sepals pubescent adaxially; dorsal sepal concave, connivent with petals and forming a hood; lateral sepals connate at base, adnate to column foot and forming a short spur, or rarely free and not forming a spur. Petals elliptic to oblanceolate, often oblique at base; lip entire and obovate to spatulate, or sometimes 2-partite with an expanded epichile, fleshy, margin adherent to column for most of its length. Column elongate, stout, ventrally often puberulent or pubescent, base with long column foot; anther sessile, 2-locular; pollinia 2, longitudinally cleft, oblong-ovoid to narrowly ovoid, granular-farinaceous, tapering into caudicles attached to a solitary ovate viscidium; rostellum flexible, narrowly oblong or ligulate; stigma 2-lobed; lobes confluent or separate.

About 75 species: Central and South America; one species (introduced) in China.

Lower Taxon

• Pelexia obliqua (J. J. Smith) Garay