Generic Names Of Orchids

GENERIC NAMES OF ORCHIDS Theil' OJ'igin and Meaning

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GENERIC NAMES OF ORCHIDS Their Origin and Meaning Richard Evans Schultes CURATOR, BOTANICAL MUSEUM OF HARVARD UNIVERSITY FORMERLY CURATOR, ORCHID HERBARIUM OF OAKES AMES, HARVARD UNIVERSITY, CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS

and

Arthwr Stanley Pease POPE PROFESSOR OF LATIN, EMERITUS, HARVARD UNIVERSITY, CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS

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ACADEMIC PRESS· New York and London

1963

To CHARLES SCHWEINFURTH of the Orchid Herbarium of Oakes Ames in recognition of a lifetime of distinguished service to COPYRIGHT @ 1963, BY ACADEMIC PRESS INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. NO PART OF THIS BOOK MAY BE REPRODUCED IN ANY FO~M, BY PHOTOSTAT, MICROFILM, OR ANY OTHER MEANS, WITHOUT WRITTEN PERMISSION FROM TIIE PUBLISHERS.

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00891.

orchidology this book is fraternally dedicated

"When we review the long history of the word uorchis" and the genus for which it st3.nds, we find that it has come down to us .. through two thousand or more years and, without too much doubt, is applied today 'as Theophrastus would have had us apply it. Under one of its popular names, Shakespeare gave the genus a place in one of the great dramas of English literature. Linnaeus retained it as the genus Orchis in his "Species Plantarum" of 1753. John Lindley in 1836 modified it to form the name of the family Orchidaceae. So, beginning its career in one of the oldest botanical manuscripts, the term "orchis" has preserved its identity in the genus Orchis and in the name of the largest family of flowering plants." Oakes An1es, Am. 0-,·ch. Soc. Bull. II (1942), 147.

FOREWORD We have written this book because we believe that there is a real need for it. This need is manifest not only in amateur circles but also in scientific work. The Orchid Herbarium of Oakes Ames, for example, receives numerous requests each year for the meaning of technical names of orchid genera. We have found in answering these requests that it is not always easy to ascertain the derivation and meaning of the epithets. We have likewise discovered how little there is in the literature of botany to help him who sets out alone to unravel some of the intricacies involved in the origin and significance of botanical names. It has been our aim to try to keep the level of this book on a high technical plane, for we realize that careful and meticulous scholarship alone will contribute to a clarification of the many problems which we take up for consideration. We realize, fmthermore, that this approach will be appreciated not only by our botanical audience bl,lt also by those interested in horticultural activities and by the amateur orchidophile who loves orchids for their own sake. Some names of orchid genera were explained as to their origin and meaning by the botanists who described the concepts and gave them their epithets. In many instances, however, there is no such clarification in the original description, and we must look to later works which might have attempted to present an explanation. In the earlier years of the past century, sundry dictionaries were elaborated which included etymological analyses of technical plant names. In 1840, Sir Joseph Paxton (Z4) published his useful "A Pocket Botanical Dictionary." This was expanded into the better known "Paxton's Botanical Dictionary," edited by Samuel Hereman (15) and published in 1868. The more important horticultural genera are included, with etymologies; but a number of them are clearly erroneous, and some are rather unlikely suggestions as to meaning. In the same period, G. C. Wittstein (33) prepared his exhaustive work on the etymology of botanical names-"Etymologisch-Botanisches Handworterbuch" (1852). This-has become a classic in botany because of its thoroughness and scholarship. It is by far the best dictionary of its kind which we know. Its etymological content is almost unquestionable, but the morphological reasons for the choice of a given name are not always stated and, when offered, are sometimes rather fanciful or open to serious doubt. The second edition (1856) is the more widely known and used. The number of orchid genera described since 1856 is, of course, very large, so that Wittstein, perhaps no more than half complete originally, is seriously out of date at the present time. It has, nevertheless, provided a very convenient and scholarly basis for our own work. Another very useful dictionary of this sort is G. Nicholson's "The Illustrated Dictionary of Gardening" (Z3) in 4 volumes which appeared in 1884 and 1885. Its shortcoming from our point of view, naturally, is its partial coverage, for it considered only the genera then known in horticulture. In 1888, E. S. Rand, Jr. (Z6) published "Orchids," a book containing an excellent glossary of botanical terms, including a number of generic names and their meanings. A more recent dictionary, A. B. Lyons' (ZO) "Plant Names, Scientific and Popular," first ed., 1900; second ed., 1907, is excellent, but insofar as the orchids are concerned, it includes only a small number of the total genera, ........... ~ ..... l~T

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tOTY1T\Cl1"<:1ta r.TIOc,

A very recent dictionary published i;, Portuguese in Brazil commands our respect and praise. It is devoted exclusively to orchids and is remarkably complete. We refer to Hemani Urpia's (32) "Dicionar!o Etimologic~
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS To our several colleagues in the Botanical Museum of Harvard University we owe our gratitude for many favors and much encouragement during the preparation. of this work. Of these colleagues, we must thank especially Mr. Leslie A. Garay, Curator of the Orchid Herbarium of Oakes Ames, for generously sharing his knowledge of many obscure aspects of orchid taxonomy with us for the elucidation of the meaning of some of the recondite generic names; and Mr. Charles Schweinfurth, Research Fellow in the same Herbarium, for many kindnesses and much help throughout our research. To Dr. Albert F. Hill we are deeply indebted for extensive editorial advice and assistance. Without the ever cheerful and spontaneous help of Mrs. Lazella Schwarten, Librarian of the Gray Herbarium and the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University, our task in consulting the hundreds of original generic descriptionssome in publications so rare that they are not even in the extensive)ibrary of the Orchid Herbarium of Oakes Ames-would have been of supremely discouraging proportions. Mrs. Schwarten's contribution to our work is indeed of a decisive nature. Dr. Victor S. Summerhayes of the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew, dean of British orchidologists, has at all times been happy to fit into his very busy schedule our several requests for information and advice, and we acknowledge how much the present work owes to his helpful friendliness. We are truly appreciative of the work of the several artists whose plates we reproduce: Mrs. Blanche Ames·, Mr. Gordon W. Dillon, Mr. Elmer W. Smith, Mr. G. C. K. Dunsterville, Miss Ruth Barton, Mrs. Dorothy Marsh, Mr. John Gumppenberg, Miss E. B. Phillips, Mrs. Dorothy Allen, and Mr. Douglas Tibbitts. We must likewise acknowledge with thanks permission of the American Orchid Society for the use of a number of illustrations from the American Orchid Society Bulletin. Finally, we cannot let pass the opportunity of thanking Mrs. Helen de Huarte who, with her usual meticulous interest and care, was responsible for typewriting the whole manuscript of this book. It is not easy to realize how much her work has contributed toward accuracy in the rather technical pages that follow.

RICHARD EVANS SCHULTES ARTHUR STANLEY PEASE

xiii

TABLE OF CONTENTS A Note to Orchidists, by Gordon W. Dillon

ix

Foreword

xi

Acknowledgrnenis Introduction

xiii 1

Explanations

23

Subfamilies, Tribes, and Subtribes of the Orchidaceae

26

A Dictionary Listing of Orchid Genera

29

Orchid Hybrids, Natural and Artificial

328

XNTRODUCTJ[ON One of the most fasl,inating studies in connection with the orchids is their nomenclature. Both the common or vernacular and the technical or scientific names reveal much to those who will examine their origin and meaning.

Vernacular Nomenclature

FIG. 1. Tailpiece from Jan1es Bateman's "The Orchidaceae of Mexico and Guatemala" (1843), by Lady Grey of Groby. Explanation of the original: "The hag came forth, broom and all, from a flower of Cypripedium insigne; her attendant spirits are compose~ of Brassia Lanceana, Angraecum caudatum, Oncidiurn Papilio, etc., etc.; two specimens .o~ Cycnoches sail majesticaily on ~he globe below, on the right of which crawls M egaclinium falcatum. In the centre, stands a desponding Monachanthus. on t~e left ,a pair of M~devallias are dancing a minuet, while sundry Epidendra, not' unhke the walking leaves' of Australia, complete the group."

Country folk in all lands and from the earliest times have had appropriate names for the orchids that grew in their fields and forests. Most of these names, naturally, emphasized some peculiarity of structure in the flower or vegetative rmrts of the plant. Ames* liked to quote Jakob Breyne. In 1678, Breyne wrote in his "Exoticarum Aliarumque Minus Cognitarum Plantarum" at a time when orchids were at the peak of their importance as presumed therapeutic agents: "If nature ever showed her playfulness in the formation of plants, this is visible in the most striking way among the orchids. The manifold shape of these flowers arouses our highest admiration. They take on the form of little birds, of lizards, of insects. They look like a man, like a woman, sometimes like an austere, sinister fighter, sometimes like a clown who excites our laughter. They represent the image of a lazy tortoise, a melancholy toad, an agile, ever-chattering monkey. Nature has formed orchid flowers in such a way that, unless they make us laugh, they surely excite our greatest admiration. The causes of their marvellous variety are at least in my opinion hidden by nature under a secret veil." A few examples of common names which refer to curious morphological structures will be sufficient to illustrate their origin. In North America, Habenaria blephariglottis is known as Monkey Face, a playful name alluding to the supposed resemblance of the complex flower to an anthropoid face. Pogonia dphioglossoides answers to Snake Mouth or Adder's Mouth because of the popular fancy that the lip looks like the open mouth. of a snake. Many species of Spiranthes, with their long slender graceful densely flowered spikes, have the understandable epithet of Ladies' Tresses. A plectrum hyemale, whose rootstock comprises several glutinous corms, is aptly described by its popular name Puttyroot. Cyrtopodium punctatum, with its elongated and pointed pseudobulbs, is called Cigar Orchid and Cow Horn Orchid. It has also another name, Bee Swarm Orchid, which refers to its profusion of yellowish bee-like flowers. The sundry species of Cypripedium are, for obvious reasons, most commonly called Lady's Slipper or Moccasin Flower. Such a striking anatomical feature is the saccate lip that a host of similar names have been applied to the group: Camel's Foot, Noah's Ark, Squirrel Shoe, Whippoorwill's Shoe, Steeple Cap,

* Quotations in the introductory discussion a1·e from Oakes An1es (3) unless otherwise credited. 1

2

GENERIC NAMES OF ORCHIDS AND THEIR MEANING

Venus' Shoe, and Indian Shoe. In many of the European languages, the common name for species of Cypripedium emphasizes the shoe-shaped labellum: Sabot de la Vierge, Soulier de Notre-Dame; Frauenschuh, Marienschuh, Pantoffela, Scarpa della Madonna. Even in the tropics, where one might think that the bewildering number and variety of orchids would discourage popular naming, one finds such terms as Bee for Oncidium and Dove for Peristeria, in Trinidad, and Torito (little bull) for the waxen flower of Stanhopea tigrina with its bicornate i:nesochile, in Mexico. Many popular orchid names, especially in Europe, stem from supposed therapeutic properties of the plants. "Indeed, it is to their fancied medicinal properties that we are indebted for the first attempts to distinguish one species from another and to clarify their differences by means of drawings." This aspect of orchid nomenclature goes back far beyond the Greek scientist, Dioscorides; it was he who, in the first century A.D., coded the knowledge and lore and, thus, left it for posterity. The very name "orchid" comes from the Greek word 6pxis for testicle, and.arose from the widespread belief that the testiculate tubers of some of the terrestrial species, through their resemblance to human or animal testicles, possessed valuable aphrodisiac properties. Thi.s reasoning became, as time went on, of extreme importance in folk botany and was formulated into what is now known as the "Doctrine of Signatures" ~the Creator had put a stamp on every plant indicating its use to man, and it was man.'_s task to find and interpret this sign or signature. This belief persisted throughout the Middle Ages in Europe, and it still operates among many nonliterate and peasant peoples in various parts of the world. Thus, in popular nomenclature and in medieval English herbals; we see sundry species of Habenaria referred to as Dog Stones, Fox Stones, Goat Stones, and Fool's Stones, with the term "stone" signifying testicle. That the connotation of these names for the presumed aphrodisiac orchids was considered rather offensive may be gleaned from Shakespeare's clever substitution for a species of Orchis of a more poetic or acceptable name in describing the death of Ophelia in "Hamlet" (Act 4, Sc. 7): "There is a willow grows aslant a brook,

That shows his hoar leaves in the glassy strean1; There, with fantastic garland did she come, Of crow-flowers, nettles, daisies and long purples, That liberal shepherds give a grosser nan1e, But our cold maids do dead 1nan's fingers call then1."

The name Nerve Root for Cypripedium Calceolus indicates a former place in materia medica; and the epithet Ettercap or Attacop for Pogonia ophioglossoides suggests that the plant was once considered to be, poisonous, for the term is derived from the Anglo-Saxon for "poison-head." The unusual or interesting habitats often chosen by orchids sometimes give rise to very appropriate common names. Examples of this kind of epithet are

. INTRODUCTION

3

numerous. We might cite our American Bog Orchid (Habenaria dilatata), Fen Orchid (Liparis Loeselii), Bog Adder's Mouth or Bog Tenderwort (Malaxis paludosa). Another source of vernacular names is some peculiarity in a plant's behavior. We have many examples, but perhaps two of the best known are Night-Smelling Epidendrum (Epidendrum nocturnum) and Flor de Mayo (Laelia speciosa). Similarly, there are names which call attention to something extraordinary or highly unusual, such as Gypsy Spike (Habenaria jlava var. herbiola), Faery Fringe (Habenaria psychodes), and Phantom Orchid or Snow Orchid (Cephalanthera A ustfriae) .

Technical Nomenclature The study of the origin and meaning of the common names of orchids can open up rich vistas in the history of the interrelationship between this group of plants and man. Likewise, and perhaps even more so, the technical Latinized names of the genera of orchids give us clues to peculiarities of structure, to a possible therapeutic or magical importance of the plant in former times, or to the identity of its discoverer or to some scientist for one reason or another connected with the genus. The present volume concerns the etymology and significance of the technical or scientific names of the orchid genera. Our decision to carry out thoroughly this study of orchid generic nomenclature was prompted, first by our natural interest in this phase of botanical endeavor and, second, by the constant enquiries from laymen and scientists requesting information on the epithets by which the genera of orchids are known. We discovered that it was not always an easy task to trace the story of the names iri question. Many of the earlier taxonomic botanists who described orchid genera were such excellent classicists that it seemed to them wholly superfluous to break down the names which they created into component parts and explain the reasons behind their creation. Such luminaries of orchidology as Robert Brown, John Lindley, Carl Ludwig Blume, and Gustav Reichenbach sometimes offered an explanation of new generic words, but as often as not they failed to devote any attention to this facet of their work. Then, too, the etymological origin of a new generic name might be eruditely detailed without any definite explanation of the morphological or other feature to which it referred. In cases of this kind we often find that a careful study of the orchid itself uncovers several pla~sible reasons for the name, yet occasionally we are left completely thwarted in our search for a suitable characteristic of the plant to justify the botanist's choice of the term.

4

GENERIC NAMES OF ORCHIDS AND THEIR MEANING INTRODUCTION

5

Many attempts to explain the origin and meaning of orchid names have been made by persons who, either through lack of library or herbarium facilities, through a poor understanding of the complexities of orchid morphology or through an inadequate knowledge of Latin and Greek, have failed to find any plausible explanation, and have, unfortunately, resorted to unwarranted imagination. For this reason, our botanical and horticultural literature abounds in errors or false etymological. explanations. This is especially true in the 0RCHIDACEAE.

.FIG. 2, Habenaria nivea (N:utt.) Spreng.

Worse than this, we find not infrequently that many names which were thoroughly and meticulously analyzed in the original descriptions suffer from false etymological explanations simply because later writers failed to consult the original sources. A large proportion of these errors have been made by writers of floras or manuals which are freely quoted, so that many false etymologies have now become anchored and unquestioned in our literature. Perhaps we are over-optimistic in hoping that our researches, carried out from 1953 through 1960 and published in this volume, may help to correct some of the entrenched mistakes. A few examples will show the extent which these erroneous explanations may assume. Coeloglossum comes from the Greek for "hollow-tongue" and refers to the lip, yet Britton and Brown's (7) "An Illustrated Flora of the Northern United States, Canada and the British Possessions," without stating to what structure the term alludes, derived the name from what is supposed to be the Latin for "heaven-tongue." The name of the Brazilian orchid Cyanaeorchis is often explained as meaning "blue orchid," notwithstanding the yellow-green color of the flowers; yet, when he described the genus, Barbosa-Rodrigues derived the epithet from Cyane (a Greek waternymph), in allusion to the aquatic habitat chosen by this plant. Lyperanthus, according to some, might trace back to a Greek word for "painful," so named because it is an unsatisfactory intermediate genus with no clear-cut distinguishing characters to separate it from its nearest allies. Paxton (24), in his usually reliable dictionary, attributes it to a Greek word for "sadness,'' because of the somber hue of the flowers. Yet, in the original description, Robert Brown explains its derivation from the Greek for "shining flower,," descriptive of the glossy, red blossoms. In "Flora Brasilica," F. C. Hoehne (16) suggested that Ponthieva was named in commemoration of the Count of Ponthieu, one of the tities of King Charles X of France, but Robert Brown tells in his description of the new genus (see Ponthieva in listing) that it honors a noted French merchant of the West Indies who sent plant collections to Sir Joseph Banks. Some of the names of orchid genera could have been derived from several different sources with almost equal etymological soundness. In these instances, only a study of the plant can hope to settle the problem. The name of the large American genus Pleurothallis, for example, might come from the Greek words for "rib" and "branch," alluding to the many leaf-bearing stems arising caespitosely in most of the species; it could as well-perhaps more appropriately-come from "rib" and "to bloom," in reference to the one-sided disposi-

-,

6

GENERIC NAMES OF ORCHIDS AND THEIR MEANING INTRODUCTION

tion of the flowers along the axis of the inflorescence in soine of the conspicuous

(e.g., unalascensis), and, especially among the orchids, morphological features found in the peculiar shapes of the flower or its parts (e.g., tubulifiora; triangulipetala/ avatilabia; etc.). We find also many species named for their discoverers or for patrm;is or rulers. The name of the person thus honored is put in the genitive case of the specific epithet or sometimes into the appropriate adjectival form. Occasionally, instead of an adjective or honorific genitive, there is used for the species the nominative of a noun in apposition with the generic name. This is true of pre-Linnean genus names used as specific epithets (e.g., Orchis Mario).

species. . . left mainly to judicious guesswork, especially With a few genera, one is I t f ·1 t hen a careful study of the floral and vegetative parts of the P an a1 ls _o w · d'icat edb y the'cetymology examp e is disclose any characteristic clearly m k d. fAn r "bedp~st " . . . b d · ed from the' ree wor o · .

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Ti:~;:!::~1;~:::1r:ho;~;!it:!:c:~i:~ carved bedpost; or it m1ghi; per aps re r osts of antique. beds. h1' ch we consider in could be considered suggestive of th~ knobs onf the hpd . t 1 1250 generic names o ore I s w . Of tte :pproxm~t e/ nly half a dozen-have defied all attempts at analysis this wor ' e~-p;r ap o h any of Rafinesque's epithets, are incorrectly :n~:~pl::~ti;:· h::e\:~c n:sc:ice but to present the etymology that. th: a:thor ~bought (and stated) that he was using, t:ra;.y ~ame:h:: :v:u~~;;1~{ a with qualification or reservation, usually as an m ica i ; b u plied by name offered no analysis or explanation, ~nd that these ave een. s P . us on the basis of philological and botamcal probab1hty.

The Use of Technical Names . t . .al names for plants are, as stated above, found among Common or riVI . 'd d · taut for food . eo Jes and Ian uages, at least for species cons1 ere impor . . . ' most p p . 1. . for other necessities or amemties of hfe. 1g h

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to extreme .~on11:1;~::~;~fa~~':\~rt::r:;:~gs. of Dioscorides, for example'. in or more qm e . I . t attention was paid to synonyms im~~~t:~o;:

~:~!:?' :!~:a~~r;~~i;;~:g appdroDp.riate ?drugs t~~=e~d:~is:~r;i .d d Theophrastus an wscori es m ' t b

or poisons o e avo1 e · . . h bals of the Middle Ages and . L tin form an introduct10n to the various er h. h ~en~.issance; and 'the herbals themdselv;es werde follro:~. n:;:e. d I f lk harmacology an more an mo were less an ess o -p . Pl t " (1753) . the basis h ulminated in Linnaeus' (19) "Species an arum ' ' u:'ore or less modification, of all our mofdern ~ientific ~~a; . The story of technical plant nome1_1clature ro~ 1;1naeus 1 has ti:":a~i: ~~~:~~: ;;;~:;d;;:~::~ns whi:h ~er::c~ : kind of archive assigned a precise meanmg o in an hTerb:~u~ a::ded the great co~venience of consistently substituting for n words brief citations provided by a name. o is e c1:1mb~_rso~e phra~es 1of (e.g., Oph~ys)' commonly followed ~mom~ali;·:aj:c:::: :or the species (e.g., latijolia) denoting some 1_mportant a s1tng. chyarac erist'1c of. the plant , such as color, size, leaf shape, geograph1cal range

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Whenever possible without ambiguity, Linnaeus and his successors retained for genera the Latin terms familiar in western Europe or eastern America, but there were far too few of them to designate the many plants in countries where botanists were beginning to explore great virgin territories, treasure-houses of botanical novelties. They were, again, too few to designate the more discriminating segregations among genera already known or in the case of lowly and inconspicuous plants overlooked by earlier collectors. Accordingly, it was sometimes necessary to invent new names among species where the same specific epithet could be used again and again in different genera and more often among genera where a generic name should be used but once. For specific names, these were formulated less frequently in the Greek (e.g., anthropophora), more commonly in the Latin (e.g., rotundifolia), and among genera, occasionally in Latin (e.g., Habenaria) or very often in Latinized Greek (e.g., Epidendrum). On the whole, specific names are much less puzzling as to their meaning than are generic epithets. This would be expected from the greater frequency of their use. Some generic names are taken from simple, uncompounded Greek and Latin words or from words only slightly modified (e.g., Liparis), but for the very large numbers not thus provided, the precedents set by Linnaeus, Lindley, and others have permitted the use of classical names of quite uncertain application. These are known as nomina nuda. In addition, these earlier botanists have employed mythological names (e.g., Arethusa; Calypso), as Linnaeus did in his naming of the Lepidoptera, arid names of historical women (Aspasia) or of men more or less tenuously associated with certain plants (e.g., the description under Oberonia in the list that follows). At other times, vernacular and sometimes indeclinable names are unblushingly taken into technical nomenclature and established as the scientific epithet as well. But the largest group of generic names, which gives occasion for this book, consists usually of two Greek words combined and Latinized by post-Linnaean botanists. The elements thus selected emphasize noteworthy features of orchid floral morphology, zygomorphic flowers, ovary, pollen-masses, iip, spurs, column, or else grosser characters in corms, roots, leaves, and forms of inflores-

cence.

The type of compound commonly employed is known as "possessive" e.g., macrophylla "whose leaves, phylia, are large, macros." In this sort of compound, the first element is an adjective, Greek or Latin, the second a noun;

8

GENERIC NAMES 01' ORCHIDS AND THEIR MEANING . INTRODUCTION

9

and the resultant word is an adjective, even though substantively used in generic names (e.g., Calopogon). Various other derivative forms are often met. Especially common are those ending in -odes (e.g., psychodes) and the trisyllabic -oides (e.g., ophioglossoides), both suffixes meaning "resembling." Less frequently than with specific epithets, the names of genera may honor individuals, usually with feminine suffixes in -a, -ea, or -ia based on their surnames, e.g., Listera, Ponthieva, Stanhopea, Oakes-Amesia, etc. Some botanists (C. S. Rafinesque-Schmaltz is an outstanding example) have been poor linguists or philologists and have so modified or mangled sundry Greek and Latin elements in the generic names which they coined that it is difficult, unless they themselves explained their intentions, to discover why they chose particular names. An analysis of the more than 1250 generic names of orchids treated in the following pages shows that Greek was the preferred language of orchidologists in making new epithets. This classical language accounts for no less than 68% of the names. Surprisingly, Latin is the basis for but 6%. Only 0.9% are bastard names-those ill-formed from a Latin and a Greek root. Twenty-two per cent of the genera commemorate specific persons, and 2% are of geographical origin. A few names (0.5%) are derived from native languages, such as Japanese, Hindi, Malayan. Classical figures of history and mythology account for 0.4%. We have been completely unable to explain the origin of only about one-half of one per cent. The remaining few result from anagrams (rearrangement of the letters of a former genus) or are composites made from the parts of the epithets of two existing genera.

International Character of Botanical Nomenclature

FIG. 3. Spirit of Spiranthes.

The mairi trend in botanical nomenclature since 1753 has, as stated above, been toward increas:ng standardization. This is sorely needed in any science of classification and naming. After Linnaeus, certain outstanding botanists exerted such influence that many of their own ideas and practices were more or less widely followed by those working in the plant sciences. In 1813, Augustin de Candolle (11) published his "Theorie Elementaire de la Botanique," in which organography and nomenclature were thoroughly discussed and which set forth such clear procedures for the handling of nomenclatural matters that · his ideas served, fifty years later, as a partial basis for his son's (Alphonse de Candolle) "Lois de la Nomenclature Botanique" (10). Steudel (30) in 1821 published the first important index to the names of · phanerogamic plants: "Nomenclator Botanicus," including all existing technical names and their synonyms. A second edition appeared in 1841. These indexes were the forerunners of the "Index Kewensis," a listing of all Latin binomials and their synonyms, started in 1895 and kept up-to-date through the publication of supplements, usually every five years. This Index is edited in the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew. A similar index in card form, the

10

GENERIC NAMES OF ORCHIDS AND THEIR MEANING _INTRODUCTION

"Gray Card Index," has been published at the Gray Herbarium of Harvard University since the 1890's. It includes the names of only New World plants and differs from the "Index Kewensis" by including new varieties and forms as well as species and genera. With the growth in complexity and the geographic extension of taxonomy and nomenclatural studies, it became apparent about a century ago that the _ only way in which the vast body of knowledge in this field could be integrated under a standardized nomenclature was by creating an international system acceptable to botanists everywhere. It was Alphonse de Candolle who spearheaded the movement that led finally in 1867 to the First International Botanical Congress in Paris. This group of 150 botanists voted to adopt de Candolle's (1 O) "Lois de la Nomenclature Botanique" as the best guide for nomenclature in the Vegetable Kingdom. A few years thereafter, a group of American botanists, under the leadership of botanists at the New York Botanical Garden, formulated a set of rules which they believed to be more appropriate to the needs of modern nomenclature. These rules eventually became known as the Rochester Code. Not all American botanists followed them (e.g., those at Harvard adhered to the European Code). In 1905, the Third International Botanical Congress met in Vienn~ and made substantial headway in modifying and amplifying for the growing science the Paris Code of 1867. The advocates of the Rochester Code remained adamant, however, and went ahead to propound the so~called American Code (a modification of the Rochester Code), which they published in 1907. The utilization of two Codes-the European or International and the socalled American-led to many points of misunderstanding and sometimes even to chaos in what had long since become a truly international science. It was not until 1930 when, at the Congress held in Cambridge, England, the best of the two systems was combined in the International Rules of Botanical Nomenclature. These rules, slightly modified by several succeeding international botanical congresses, are now the basis for nomenclatural work in botany the world over. As George H. M. A. Lawrence: (18) has so succinctly stated of the 1930 Cambridge Congress: "For the first time in botanical history, a code of nomenclature came into being that was international in function as well as in name.''

The Family Orchidaceae and Its Morphology "If we visualize the sequence of the flowering plants from the evolutionary point of view as a genealogical tree, the branches of which represent the taxonomic concepts of botanical classification, we find one branch given over to those families which are grouped together as the monocotyledons. At the tip of one branch, the family of the Orchids is placed as the most highly organized group set apart, among other characters, by complexity of floral structure.

11

In brief, among the grasses, palms, lilies and irises, to mention only four of the forty-five families that constitute the monocotyledons, the Orchids hold the loftiest position." So wrote that great student of the orchids, the late Professor Oakes Ames of Harvard, University, in his fervor for the family of plants to which he had devoted a life-time of study and research. The number is legion of those, scientist and layman alike, who agree in awarding to the orchids a very special place in man's concept of the Plant Kingdom. The 0RCHIDACEAE, without question the largest family not only of the MONOCOTYLEDONEAE but also of all the PHANEROGAMAE, comprise from 20,000 to 25,000 known species and varieties distributed in from 500 to 600 different genera. Some specialists place the number of species and genera higher, even as high as 35,000 in 800 genera, but we prefer to maintain the more conservative estimate. It is true, however, that our conservative estimate may one day be out-of-date, since new species are being discovered by almost every botanical expedition to the tropical regions. The orchids, represented in the flora of every part of the globe with the exception of the two polar regions, are today typically and outstandingly a tropical family, and their greatest speciation and diversification are expressed in the highland tropics of both the New and Old Worlds. It has sometimes been maintained that the CoMPOSITAE, the most highly evolved of the dicotyledonary families, may perhaps constitute a larger family in number of species than the Orchidaceae, but there can no longer be any uncertainty as to the numerical superiority of the orchids. And with every year of exploration the difference widens, because those floras known to be rich in orchids and relatively poor in composites are situated in the most inadequately explored tropical parts of the globe. The Orchidaceae are grouped in the order MICROSPERMAE, a principal character of which is the presence of extremely numerous and minute, tunicate seeds. The Microspermae are commonly divided into 4 families: the BURMANNIACEAE and CORSIACEAE in the suborder BURMANNIINEAE, with seeds provided with endosperm and usually regular flowers _with 6 or 3 fertile stamens; and the APosTASIACEAE and Orchidaceae in the suborder GYNANDRAE, with seeds devoid of endosperm and usually zygomorphic flowers with 1, 2, or rarely 3 fertile stamens. The Apostasiaceae, sometimes included amongst the orchids, comprise the nearest allies of the Orchidaceae. A small group of genera native to Malasia, . the Apostasiaceae are now usually excluded from the orchids mainly because of their regular perianth. Furthermore, the Orchidaceae possess more. consistently than the Apostasiaceae, a true column, that is, a columnar structure resulting from the complete fusion of stamens and pistils in all their parts. The Orchidaceae have been conventionally subdivided into two large subfamilies: the DIANDRAE and the MoNANDRAE, the principal difference residing in the possession by the former of 2 functional anthers, by the latter of one. The Orchid Family may justifiably lay claim to our deepest attention be-

12

GENERIC NAMES OF ORCHIDS AND THEIR MEANING INTRODUCTION

cause of excessive variation in floral structures, giving rise to the most bizarre of forms. No other family of plants shows such an extraordinary range of floral variability. Studies have shown that evolution has, mainly through a process of suppression and union of parts, so changed the orchid flower from what its prototype must have been that the modern orchi.d often would not be recognized, on superficial examination, as representing the typical monocotyledonous . flower composed of 5 whorls each of 3 floral segments, 3 sepals, 3 petals, 6 (2 whorls) of stamens, and 3 separate styles. Change has been so drastic that Ames whimsically wrote in this connection: "What may be called the behavior of certain orchids may awaken a suspicion that their flowers are endowed with something analogous to intelligence. Certain floral structures and the study of their probable evolution intensify the belief that orchids possess qualities which set them apart from other plants . . . it is delightful to regard orchids as beings which have shaped their own destiny, and to speak of their floral structures, of the rostellum, for example, as organs purposely developed to serve special and sometimes fantastic functions. "The gynandrous flowers are hermaphroditic, sometimes polygamous . . . In some species, they are polymorphic. They are always normally zygomorphic and epigynous and are borne singly or in a several- to many-flowered spicate, racemose or paniculate inflorescence that arises terminally or laterally from the axil of a small leaf or bract. They vary from being minute and inconspicuous to large, dully hued, showy or even tawdry and brightly coloured "When an orchid flower is examined, it becomes clear-. . . that it is a complex structure made up of simple and compound organs." The perianth consists of an outer whorl of 3 sepals and, alternating with them, an inner whorl of 2 normal petals and a modified one known as the lip or labellum, usually larger than the normal petals. The pedicel of the flower bears the three-locular and many-ovulate ovary which, in most, but not all, species is resupinate. Resupination, a phenomenon sometimes of appreciable taxonomic value as a diagnostic character in the orchids, is the twisting of the ovary or pedicel about 180° after the opening of the flower to bring the lip, at first uppermost, to a position in which it is directed downwards. "The term resupination is important in our studies of the Orchidaceae because the vast majority of the species possess resupinate flowers. Glanced at casually, the position of the lip rarely awakens a question; and yet here is a fascinating condition. The lip has not always been the lowermost segment of the corolla. In the early years of evolution, the lip was uppermost, and to-day it is uppermost when the buds are formed . . . To our eyes, there is something quite proper in the usual position of the labellum . . . yet in the bulk of the species the labellum owes its satisfying position . . . [to] some vagary of nature, or shall we say . . . [to] a sympathetic physiological response to the behavior of those food-seeking insects which accomplish pollination." The 3 sepals may be equal in size and similar in shape and hue,- or the dorsal sepal may be larger or smaller than the laterals and, rarely however,

13

somewhat different in coloration. The laterals are usually more or less oblique wh~reas t1:e. dorsal is normally quite symmetrical. The three may be free 0 ; variously Jomed or connate. The sepals, unlike those in most other families of monocotyledons, are usl!lally colored, sometimes highly so, instead of being green, and they may occasionally be_ provided with prominent veins or be conspicuously ciliate along their margins. The lateral or normal petals are similar and usually quite regular in shape. They often str?ngly resemble the lateral sepals and are commonly similarly colored and vemed. When we conSJder the Jabellum which as we have seen represents the uppermost petal, although, through res~pination, it is most ofte~ lowe~ost, we find an organ that exhibits an unbelievably complex series of var1at1ons. I_n the pri:"iti:,re orchid, the lip must have been merely another normal petal, but m evolut10n 1t became "the crowning glory of the modern orchid." It is so highly modified that one might not, without careful examination, presume that 1t formed a part of the inner perianth whorl. It is the conspicuous segment of most of the orchids and differs from the other, usually smaller, perianth segments not only m shape and form but also usually in texture and coloration. It ma)'. be undivided but more often it is lobed in sundry patterns, the usual one b~mg a_three-lobate one with the lateral lobes often strongly divergent and so~etimes m another plane from the midlobe. Its margins may be entire or var10u~Jy notched, toothed, fringed or lacerate, or, rarely, even ciliate. It may be sessile, or drawn out basally into a long claw. Sometimes at its base there is the development of a Jong or short, occasionally somewhat complex spur or calcar that may function as a nectary. In form, the lip varies from flat to conchiform to deeply or very complexly saccate or slipper-shaped, and may, in some gener~, 1;e differentiated into a most complicated series of parts, designated_ as ep1ch1le, mesochile and hypochile. The upper surface of the lip, called the disk, may be, and most frequently is, flat and smooth, but even here we may find the most ingenious assortment of glands, calluses, papillae, beards, keels or plate-hke lamellae. The lip is, in short, the petal that evolved to form an organ for the attraction of insects and to provide them with a surface on which they may conveniently alight from flight, and it is oriented in such a way that th~ insect's entrance into the flower must disturb the pollinia which, brushed agamst and loosened, often stick to the insect's body to be carried off to another flower. As. complex and intricately ingenious as the Jab ellum may be, the extreme evolut10nary_ advance in the Orchidaceae is probably nowhere more clearly ~hown than m the true_ column, a structure which, among the monocotyledons, 1s peculiar to the orchids. As a consequence of the column or gymnostenium the orchid flower has neither free styles nor stamen-filaments. The column show~ much variation in size and morphology, providing excellent characters for the separati?n of genera and sometimes.even of species. It may be straight, arcuate or bent m a more or less sigmoid fashion; it may be variously winged laterally;

14

GENERIC NAMES OF ORCHIDS AND THEIR MEANING INTRODUCTJON

"~ - - - -Ova1;_Y-- -.1\l

IJ-'/5 ,

FIG. 4. Ground plan of an orchid flower ( tOp) at a transitional stage. Cqlumn anrl part of.the ovary (hottom) of a species of Brassia.

and it may or may not possess a foot-a more or less conspicuous elongation projecting from the base of the column. At, or near its apex or laterally, the column carries the pollen°bearing anther or anthers which may be mobile or rigidly attached. On the ventral surface of the column are the stigma or stigmas. The two orchidaceous subfamilies, Diandrae and Monandrae, differ primarily in the, number of anthers and stigmas and in the presence or absence of rostellum and clinandrium. In the Diandrae, the column bears laterally two fertile stamens and centrally a peta loid staminode which serves to protect the column; it has also at the apex a 0

15

large stigmatic surface consisting of three separate, functional stigmas. The Monandrae differ in having only one fertile stamen at or near the apex of the column, generally two functional stigmas either confluent or more or less separated and the rostellum. , The pollen'grains are borne singly in the Diandrae; in the Monandrae, they are united into tetrads and are compressed into 2, 4, 6, or 8 definite masses or poJlinia of varying form. These pollinia may be powdery, granular-farinaceous, waxy, or cartilaginous-a character used in separating tribes in the family. The number of pollinia is often utilized as a basic character for generic distinction. The only other family known to· have the pollen grains formed into coherent masses or pollinia is the dicotyledonary AscLEPIADACEAE, a family which, like the Orchidaceae, has unusually complex relationships with insects in the mechanics of pollination. The pollinia of orchids are removed unbroken by insect visitors which, in coming into contact with the column, exert pressure on them. "In the early period of orchid development, many millions of years ago, there were six anther-bearing stamens in the flower, and the pollen was composed of loose, separable grains, Then a reduction in the number of pollenbearing stamens took place----where or why we do not know-and the pollen grains began to cohere together-first in fours (tetrads), and later became compacted into definite masses of varying texture and different form." The rostellum is essentially a modified third stigma, and, in one tribe (POLYCHONDRAE), remains fertile and still fulfills the functions of a stigma. The rostellum projects out over the stigmatic surface on the ventral surface of the column and serves to affix the pollinia to insect intruders. It is "a sterile female structure which has resigned itself to the altruistic function of bringing to its fertile sisters the fertilizing pollen of an anther." In other words: "It ceased to function as a fertile female to which pollen might be applied to ensure fertilization, and became the vehicle whereby the pollen, a male substance, could be transported to a fertile female." Present only in the monandrous orchids, it has probably done more to shape orchid evolution than any other floral adaptation. As we contemplate the basic significance of this remarkable mechanism, the crowning achievement of floral evolution in the Orchidaceae, we cannot but agree with Ames when he stated: "It is said that Hamlet would be a very dull play were Hamlet to be omitted. Surely the orchids would have put on a very commonplace show had the rostellum failed to appear on the biological stage." There can be no doubt that the rostellum represents one of the most ingenious modifications for a special function of any organ in the Plant Kingdom. As Darwin has written: "If the homologies of Orchids had not been pretty well made out, those who believe in the separate creation of each organism might have advanced this as an excellent instance of a perfectly new organ having been specially created and which could not have been developed by a successive modification of any pre-existing part" [as quoted in Ames (3) ].

l6

GENERIC NAMES OF ORCHIDS AND THEIR ME;\NING INTltODUCTJON

17

Orchids in Economic Botany

·,,._==§

It is perhaps of much general interest to remember that this largest of the families has furnished so few species which are of economic importance. We must not forget the great number of species which are valued highly in horticulture-and these provide the basis for an industry worth many millions of dollars-for the unexcelled beauty of their flowers that "assuage with their flamboyance our everlasting thirst for beauty." But, horticulture aside, the Orchidaceae are unusually lacking in utilitarian value to man. A few of the thousands of species have found limited use in folk medicine, but even these are esteemed only 'on a local scale and apparently as the direct result of superstition. The name "Orchidaceae," derived from the Greek word 5px«, was applied more than 2000 years ago to a species of the genus Orchis, probably 0. Moria, one of Europe's commonest orchids. Many species of Orchis possess testiculate or twin tubers. The term was first, but very vaguely, used by Theophrastus in his "Enquiry into Plants," written between 370 and 285 B.C. Dioscorides later associated the word definitely with an orchid, and his influence extended well into the herbals of the Renaissance Period. Thus the term began "its career in one of the oldest botanical manuscripts and has preserved its identity in the genus Orchis and in the name of one of the largest families of flowering plants." It was the tropics of the New World that gave civilization its most useful orchid. Long before the arrival of Europeans in Mexico, the Aztecs or their predecessors had discovered vanilla. This widely used spice and flavoriug agent probably served the Mexican natives first as a medicine of some kind, but by the time of the Conquest it was most extensively employed as a flavoring agent for chocolate. The cured and unripened capsules-the "beans" or "pods"-of several species of Vanilla, especially V. planifolia, are the source of our vanilla. Hbw vanilla came to be discovered is not easy to explain, because the fully ripened, uncured capsules are devoid of the active principle, vanilline. "The history of commercial vanilla," Ames wrote, "opens up a wide field for biological speculation and emphasizes the fact that mankind, in what we call the.infancy of the human species, possessed uncanny powers of observation and a positive genius for prying into the hidden secrets of nature. . . . Perhaps the species was first used as a drug . . . and then, when some 'beans' were carefully piled together for safekeeping, and fermentation took place, the discovery of the properties of vanilla was made." The active principle, vanilline, is formed during sweating of the beans* which brings about, through enzyme action, the change of a glycoside into vanilline (C,H,O,), an aromatic white crystalline derivative of an aldehyde.

* The beans are tied in tight bundles1 set in hot sheds in the tropics 1 and allowed to "sweat."

18

GENERIC NAMES OF ORCHIDS AND THEIR MEANING

Vanilline has been synthesized, and by far the greatest amount used commercially is not extracted from the orchid but is produced by the decomposition of coniferine, a glycoside found in coniferous trees, or by the oxidation of eugenol, a constituent of oil of cloves. Natural vanilla is still prized over the chemically pure vanilline which is employed where low cost rather than flavor is the governing factor. An early report of vanilla in a European herbal is that found in Pomet's (Z5) "Histoire Generale des Drogues," ·published in 1694. Pomet said of the "oil and volatile salt" of the vanilla "pod/ "properties of a cordial, cephalick, st~machick, carminative, aperitive; it alternates vicious humours, provo·kes urine and womens courses; is mixed in chocolate'."

·

Down through the Middle Ages, the ideas set forth by Dioscorides concerning the. association of orchids with sexual phenomena persisted and were elaborated in many ways. Tuber-bearing orchids often had vernacular names which called attention -to their testiculate underground parts-Dog Stones, Goat Stones, Fo]!: Stones, etc. The first English herhal, published in 1568 by Turne~ (31), stated of orchids or Dog Stones that "the roote of it when it is sodden inough, is eatable as bulbous is. They write of this herbe 'that if the greater roote be eaten of men it maketh men chyldren, and if the roote be eaten of weomen it maketh weomen chyldren. And moreover this is also told of itthat weomen of Thessalia geue it wyth gates milk to provoke the pleasure of the bodye, whylse it is tender, but that they geue the drye one to hinder and stop the pleasure of the bodye." The therapeutic value of orchids in the Europe of the Middle Ages, however, went far .beyond this basic concept and included a large variety of ills of mankiµd. To another orchid, Turner (31) attributed the "propertye of drying awaye swellinge and scouring of sores and to stay runing tetters. It cutteth awaye fistules, and if it be layde to, it swageth places that are inflamed and set afyre . . . stoppeth eating sores and rotte sores and it healeth the grevous sores that are in the mouth. It stoppeth also the bellye ifit be dronken wyth wyne." In 1633, another English herbalist, Gerarde (13), published a kind of classification of the orchids according to "stones," correlating with this crude classification on a. morphological ch.aracter the supposed virtues associated with the plants. Gerarde's classification makes extremely interesting. reading to the. modern naturalist. One group, for example, were called Goat Stones because they had. a "stinking and loathesome smell" like that associated with goats. Serapias Stones bore this name because "sundry of them bring forth flowers resembling .fli~s and such like fruitfull and lascivious insects, as taking their name from Serapias, the god of the citizens of Alexandria in Egypt, who had a most famous Temple at Canopus, where he was worshipped with all

kinds of lascivious wantonnesse, songs and dances. . .~ ."

The claims for therapeutic properties of numerous orchids became so ex-

INTRODUCTION

19

tensive that attempts were made to rationalize and explain the reasons for the supposed physiological actions of the plants. This was true especially for the claims of the influence of orchids on sexual phenomena in man. Kircher (17) further developed this 'theory and elaborations of it to lengths which we nowadays would hold to be ridiculous but which, in times when belief in spontaneous generation was accepted, would not find many doubting minds. Reliance upon orchids for certain therapeutic uses did not die out completely after the Middle Ages in Europe. An American herbal, Good's (14) "The Family Flora," published as late as 1845, reports for Cypripedium pubescens the following virtues: "Lady Slipper or Nerve.Root. One of the most valuable of vegetable medicines. Its operation upon the system appears to be in harmony with the laws of animal life, giving tone to the nervous system; and it is therefore useful in all cases of nervous irritability, hysterical affections, spasms, fits and all derangements of the functions of the brain, such as madness, delirium, etc., and in all cases of inability to sleep, particularly in fevers, consumption, etc. . . ." Lady Slipper is still to be found for sale in herb shops in Europe and the United States, even though there is no scientific basis upon which its medicinal use may be defended: Country folk* in some parts of the United States still rely on Arethusa bulbosa to relieve toothache and Corallorrhiza odontorrhiza as a febrifuge. The Indians of North America continue to use orchids medicinally, such as Epipactis giganteum for cases of insanity. The native people of the West Indies drink the liquid in which pseudobulbs of Bletia purpurea have been boiled to relieve symptoms of ptomaine poisoning from fish. It is in the Old World tropics, however, that most use is made of orchids as therapeutic agents. In Amboina, Indonesia, a pomade made of the pseudobulbs of Grammatophyllum scriptum is believed to cure sores, and the leave3 of Hetaeria obliqua are used for a similar purpose. Several species of Dendrobium find employment in Malaya to treat skin eruptions and infections, while in tropical Asia generally this genus is valued as a cure for dropsy and headache. The Chinese consider the famous Dendrobium nobile something of a cure-all. Species of Nervilia, Vanda, Gastrodea, and Vanilla have extensive use as medicines in the Asiatic tropics. A number of orchids are valued as febrifuges in treating malaria; Corymborchis longifiora, Tropidia curculigoides, and Acriopsis javanica are examples. In Africa, we find that the Zulus employ an infusion of Habenaria Joliosa and ofAnsellia humilis as an emetic. The Swagi use Lissochilus Krebsii to treat a disease of children. Species of Eulophia are thought to ·prevent miscarriage, cure barrenness and to be valuable for other strange troubles. Medicinal use of orchids, even amongst the Indian populations, is apparently not common in South America. Epidendrum bijidum has been employed

* A variety of sources (herbariun1 sheets, etc.) were tapped for the folk medicinal uses of orchids mentioned in this section. Miller's article (21) cites many of these uses,

20

GENERIC NAMES OF ORCHIDS AND THEIR MEANING

to expel tapeworm and intestinal parasites, and the Chileans hold that Spiranthes diuretica is efficacious as a diuretic. Salep, prepared from any of several species of Orchis, has been of great importance in the past as a medicine, but its use has now fallen into disrepute except in the country parts of Asia Minor and the adjacent Mediterran.ean area_s. Since the days of Dioscorides, salep has been' considered an aphrodisiac. The tuberous underground parts are collected and scalded in boiling water, and the skin is removed. They are then dried to a horny consistency and powdered for use. Salep is probably somewhat useful as a food, and it is as a food that it is still employed. Its composition runs about 48% mucilage, 3% starch, 5% nitrogenous material, 2% mineral ashes. In India, w.here the tubers of Eulophia, Orchis, and Satyrium may all be used as salep, it is used like sago and arrowroot and is prepared from a large variety of species. Even though the Orchidaceae have given man few foods, there are some, species which might be worth mentioning as nutrients of local use. The fragrant Angraecum fragrans forms the basis of the "faham tea" from Isle de Reunion, off the coast of Africa. It was once rather well known in France. The tea is delicious, but it did not become very widely accepted ,and has, for practical ' purposes, been completely forgotten. In Mexico, candy images of animals are made to celebrate All Saints Day and the Day of the Dead, and among tbe plant materials employed are the. · pseudobulbs of Laelia speciosa and L. autumnalis. The fragrant leaves of Dendrobium salaccense are used as a condiment for rice in Malaya, where several species of Habenaria are eaten as greens. In the tropics of Asia, roasted tubers of Gastrodia are eaten like potatoes. The Brazilians employ the seed capsules of Leptotes bicolor to flavor ice cream, and other species of orchids are valued locally throughout the tropics as condiments. Some uses to which orchids are put command our interest because of their strangeness. Bowls for smoking pipes are carved by natives in the West Indies from the hollow pseudobulbs of Laelia Thompsoniana, and in some partff of tropical Latin America trumpets to call children are fabricated from the bulbs of L. tibicinis~the specific epithet coming from the Latin word for "trmnpeter." In South America, glue for the cobbler's art is extracted from pseudobulbs of Cyrtopodium, whereas Middle American natives apply the dried gum from these pseudobulbs to violin strings. The importance locally of orchids in witchcraft. and magic is so extensive that ij; would not be possible to. discuss the topic here. The weird aspect of many of the species is undoubtedly the basis for much of the interest which primitive man has placed on the orchids. For a thoroughly interesting and inclusive survey ot the many folk uses of orchids, the reader is referred to M. A. Miller's article on "Orchids of Economic Use" (21).

INTRODUCTION

21

REFERENCES

1. Adamson, R. S., and Salter, T. M., "Flora of the Cape Peninsula." Juta & Co., Ltd., Cape. Town, 1950. 2. Allen, P. H., The or~hids of Panama. O,·ch. J. 2, 19-20, 61-67, 104-108, 181-185, 212-21,6, 259-263, 319-323, 362-368 (1953). 3. Ames, Oakes, "Orchids in Retrospect.'" Harvard Botanical Museum, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1948. 4. Baldwin, Henry, "The Orchids of New Eng·land," 1st ed. Wiley, New York, 1894. 5. Blume, Carl Ludwig, "Flora Javae et lnsularum Adjacentium." Batavia, 1858. 6. Britton, Nathaniel Lord, "Manual of the Flora of the Northern States and Canada." Holt, New York, 1901. 7. Britton, Nathaniel Lord, and Brown, Addison, "An Illustrated Flora of the Northe_rn United States, Canada and the British Possessions," 2nd ed. (rev.), Vol. I. Scrib· ner's, New York, 1913. 8. Correll, D .. S., "N?-tive Orchids of North A1nerica." Chronica Botanica, Walthan1, Massachusetts, 1950. 9. Davis, R. S., and Steiner, M. L., "Philippine Orchids." William-Frederick, New York, 1952. 10. de Candolle, Alphonse, (jLois de la Nomenclature Botanique." H. Georg, Paris, 1867. 11. de Candolle, Augustin, "Theorie Elementaire· de la Botanique." neterville, Paris, 1813. 12. Fernald, M. L., "Gray's Manual of Botany," 8th ed. American Book, New York, 1950. 13. Gerarde, J., "The Herball, or General Historie of Plantes . . . ." London, 1633. 14. Good, P. P., "The Family Flora." (Privately published.) Elizabethtown, New Jersey, 1845. 15. Hereman, S. (ed.), "Paxton's Botanical Dictionary." Bradbury, Evans & Co., . London, 1868. 16. Hoehne, F. C., "Flor;:i Brasilica," Vol. 12: Pt.1, gen. 1-12 (1940); Pt.2, gen. 13-43 (1945); Pt.4 (1942), gen. 97-114; Pt.7, gen. 115-147 (1953). lmpressores Graphicas, Sao Paulo, Brazil. 17. Kircher, A., "Mundus Subterraneus." Amsterdam, 1665. 18. Lawrence, G. H. M.A., "Taxonomy of Vascular Plants." Macmillan, New York, 1951. 19. Linne~ K-. von, "Species Plantarum.'' Holm, 1753. 20. Lyons, A. B., "Plant Names, Scientific_ and Popular," 1st ed., 1900; 2nd ed., 1907. Nelson, Baker & Co., Detroit, Michigan. 21. Miller, M. A., Orchids of economic use. Am. Orch. Soc. Bull. 28, 157-162, 268-271, 351-354 (1959). 22. Nicholls, W. H., "Orchids of Australia," Vol. 1. Georgian House, Melbourne, Australia, 1951. 23. Nicholson, G., "The Illustrated Dictionary of Gardening," 4 vols. J. Arnot Penman, London, 1884-1885. 24. Paxton, J., "A Pocket Botanical Dictionary.'' J. Andrews, London, 1840. '25. Pomet, Pierre, ''Histoire Generale des Drogues.'' Paris, 1694. 26. Raild, E. S., Jr., uorchids." Riverside Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1876. 27. ·Robinson, B. L., and Fernald, M. L., "A Handbook of the Flowering Plants and Ferns of the Central and Northeastern United States and Adjacent Canada," 7th ed. American Book, New -York, 1908. 28. Roger, R. S., South Australian orchids, in "Flora of South Australia" (J. M. Black, ed.). British Science Guild, Adelaide, Australia, 1922. 29. Schultes, Richard Evans, "Native Orchids of Trinidad and Tobago." Pergamon Press, Oxford, 1960.

22

GENERIC NAMES OF ORCHIDS AND THEIR MEANING

30. Steudel, E. P., "Nomenclator Botanicus," 1st ed., 1821; ·2nd ed., 1841. Cotta, Stuttgart, Germany. 31. Turner, W., "T-he FirSt and 'Seconde Partes of the Herbal. . . . " Collen, 1568. 32. Urpfa, Hernani, "Dicionirio Etimol6gico das Orquideas." S.A. Artes Graficao, Bahia, Brazil, 1949. 33. Wittstein, G. C., "Etymologisch-Botanisches Hand~Orterbuch," 1st ed., 1852; _2nd ed., 1856. Carl Junge, Ansbach, Gern1any.

EXPLANATKONS When we first set out to write this book, we intended to include only those generic names which are generally accepted today by orchidologjsts. It was soon apparent, however, that by following this plan, we might, on many occasions, have to set ourselves up as judges. Furthermore, later revision of accepted names might render our treatment, in one way or another, obsolete. There is still an appreciable amount of disagreement among our leading orchidologists on generic limits. Some, prefer, as in the case of Habenaria, to recognize large and inclusive generic concepts, while others more readily separate sections as good genera. Them is here- no question of right and wrong but one of personal evaluation. Another complication arose when we considered whether or not we should exclude all those generic names which are almost, if not universally, treated by modern botanists as synonyms. Wonld it be fair to exclude the explanation of a name which once was accepted and which may be encountered in the vast orchidologjcal literature to which we must still have recourse? It seemed, upon careful reflection, that the exclusion of any name because it is now considered a synonym would impose a serious limitation on the scope of the book. We decided, therefore, to include in our enumeration all properly described (according to the International Code of Botanical Nomenclature) generic names. Names published in synonymy or in notes are usually excluded. Our list may, 'through oversight; lack some names, but our aim has been to include all. We have, however, excluded subgeneric epithets, even though these may on occasi_on have been confused with or used as generic names. It was suggested by several colleagues that we indicate those genera which are recognized today as valid ones; this we have not done. Our reason was, again, that, in view of the continued disagreement amongst specialists in the orchids~even occasionally between orchidologjsts working in the same institution~we would find it necessary to set ourselves up as judges. It is, therefore, not our purpose to make this dictionary in any way a taxonomic treatment. Inasmuch as the family Apostasiaceae is often included with the Orchidaceae, we have here included the few apostasiaceous generic names. Orthographic variants or erroneous spellings have been excluded from our list. Only the originally described form or that accepted by-international agree- ment in botanical congresses is given. Some generic names have several variations· which are met with ftequently in the literature. An example is Etaeria, seen also as Aetheria and Hetaeria. The format which we follow is standard. Each generic name is followed by the name of the taxonomist who described the concept and by the bibliographic citation of the place of original description. 23

24

GENERIC NAMES OF ORCHIDS AND THEIR MEANING

The subtribe of the Orchidaceae to which the genus belongs follows the bibliographic citation. Even though the subtribal affinity of. a genus has no relationship to an explanation of its name, we have decided to present this additional information to make the list perhaps more useful. (Except in several of our larger botanical centres specializing in orchids, it is difficult, if .not sometimes impossible, to ascertain quickly the tribal 'affinity of an orchid genus.) The same is true of our decision to include information on the geographic distribution of the genera. Our hope is that this, too, will be an added aid, even though it be only remotely connected with the analysis of generic nomenclature. At the beginning of the list of generic names, there is a map on which large areas of the world are outlined and numbered. Following the tribal name under each genus, there may be found one or several Roman numerals corresponding to the areas where the genus in question is known to occur naturally. We wish to emphasize that these numbered areas are arbitrary and should in no way be interpreted as representing pliytogeographic zones or regions. Several colleagues have indicated a desire that we include an estimate of the approximate size of the genera. This we have not attempted to. do because of discrepancies which would inevitably creep in as a result of the varying evaluation of generic limitations as well as to differing weight amongst orchi, ' dologists concerning specific characters. Our explanations of the generic names are, we hope, wholly clear and straightforward. We have given the component Latin, Greek, or other terms, · upon which the epithet is built. This is followed by a brief discussion of the reason why the epithet was coined for the generic concept in question. In those cases where a person is honored, we have tried to give, when the information is available, a terse biographical paragraph pointing out especially the individual's connection, if any, with the orchids. The line-drawings scattered through the following pages are, for the most part, intended to illustrate many of the morphological peculiarities upon which the generic names are based. We have had available, however, many excellent drawings of orchids of horticultural or botanical importance (e.g., Epidendrum; Dendrobium; etc.) whose names do not come from morphological features, and we have taken the liberty of publishing some of these in the interests of presenting a work of more appeal and utility to a wider audience. Most of them have appeared only in technical publications not readily available in all libraries. Quotations in the introductory discussion on the Orchidaceae are, unless otherwise credited, from the writings of Oakes Ames. In the list of generic names, quotations, unless otherwise credited, are taken directly from the discussion which accompanies the original description of the genus. In conclusion, we might point out that, during the preparation of this work, we have striven to make it of value to all interested in botany or horticulture,

. EXPLANATIONS

25

to the many thousands of amateur orchidophiles who find the orchids pleasant companions and_ to scientists who respect the broad outlook and try to know as much a~ possible about all aspects of the plants with which they work. Our only hope 1s that we have succeeded.

SUBFAMILIES, TRIBES, AND SUBTRIBES

SUBFAMILIES,

Tribe: POLYCHONDROIDEAE

TRIBES, AND SUBTRIBES OF THE ORCHIDACEAE Each generic name in the following list has been assigned to its appropriate tribe or, generally, subtribe. This information is not easily available to many who are interested in the orchids, and we have included. it in the interests of a better understanding of the relationships of the genera. The classification followed here is that proposed by Schlechter with slight alterations. . Subfamily I

Subtribes: PTEROSTYLIDEAE CEPHALANTHEREAE DruRiDEAE VANILLEAE THELYl\lIITREAE SOBRAL.IEAE PRASOPHYLLEAE BLETILLEAE CALADENIEAE POGONJEAE ACIANTHEAE · . EP!POGONEAE CORYBADEAE GASTRODIEAE CRYPTOSTYLIDEAE RHIZANTHELLEAE PACHYPLECTREAE CRANICHIDEAE CHLORAEEAE SPIRANTHEAE LISTEREAE ERYTHRODEAE TROPIDIEAE

DIANDRAE

Tribe Tribe

CYPRIPEDILOIDEAE APOSTASIOIDEAE MONANDRAE

Subfamily II Division I Tribe (only one)

BASITONAE 0PHRYDOIDEAE

Division II Tribe Tribe

ACROTONAE POLYCHONDREAE KEROSPHAEREAE

Series A. Series B Subseries A Subseries B

ACRANTHAE PLEURANTHAE SYJ\IIPOD!ALES MONOPODIALES

Subtribes Tribe: CYPRIPEDILOIDEAE Not separated into further subdivisions Tribe: APOSTASIOIDEAE Not separated into further subdivisions Tribe: OPHRYOIDEAE Sub tribes: . ANDROCORYDEAE PLATANTHEREAE HUTTONEEAE HABENARIEAE DISPERIDEAE POROLABIEAE SATYRIEAE

26

Tribe: KEROSPHAEROIDEAE Series A: ACRANTHAE Subtribes: PLEUROTHALLIDEAE CLADERIEAE LIPARIDEAE LAELIEAE VARGASIELLEAE DENDROBIEAE CALYPSOEAE GLOMEREAE COLLABIEAE PODOCHILEAE ADRORHIZEAE PoLYSTACHYEAE COELOGYNEAE GALEANDREAE EPIDANTHEAE Series B: PLEURANTHAE Subseries A: SYMPODIALES Subtribes: CORALLORHIZEAE GONGOREAE PHAJEAE LYCASTEAE BULBOPHYLLEAE ZYGOPETALEAE GENYORCHIDEAE HUNTLEYEAE CYRTOPODIEAE MAXILLARIEAE CYMBIDIEAE !ONOPSIDEAE GROBYEAE ONCIDIEAE THELASIEAE 0RNITHOCEPHALEAE RIDLEYELLEAE NOTYLIEAE THECOSTELEAE · MACRADENIEAE CATASETEAE CRYPTOCENTREAE TELIPOGONEAE

27

-=----------------------------------------,-

28

GENERIC NAMES OF ORCHIDS AND THEIR MEANING Subseries

B:

MONOPODIALES

Subtribes: DICHAEEAE PACHYPHYLLEAE

PTEROSTEMMATEAE SARCANTHEAE

Sections: SARCANTHEAE-SARCOCHILINAE SARCANTiIEAE-PODANGINAE . SARCANTHEAE-VANDINAE . SARCANTHEAE-ANGRAECINAE · SARCANTHEAE-SACCOLABIINAE

DICTIONARY LISTING

OF ORCHID. GENERA

----Aa Reichenbach fil., Xen. Orch. 1 (1854), 18. Cranichfdeae. II, III. Significance obscure. Made up possibly as a joke in the hope that the name would be forever at the head of any botanical list of genera, or from the first and final letters of Altensteinia, the genus from which the concept Aa was separated. Perhaps, though rather improbably, dedicated to Mynheer Pieter van der Aa, a Dutchman, as suggested by Hoehne .. Abdominea J. J. Smith, in Bull. Jard. Bot. Buit., ser. 2, 14 (1914), 52. Sarcantheae-Saccolabiinae. IX. Lat. abdomen (abdomen). Referring to the rostellum, which is shaped more or less like the abdomen of an insect. Abola Lindley, Fol. Orch. (1853), Abola 1. Oncidieae. III. Origin and significance unknown. Abrochis Necker, Elem. Bot. 3 (1790), 130.. , Platanthereae. V. Gr. lif3poxo, abrochos (dry). Indicating probably an exposed, sunny habitat. Acacallis Lindley, Fol. Orch. (1853), Acacallis 3. Zygopetaleae. III. Gr. 'A««Hl, Akakallis (a nymph). Dedicated to a Greek nymph, lover of Apollo. · Acampe Lindley, Fol. Orch. (1853), Acampe 5. Sarcantheae-Saccolabiinae. VI, VII, VIII, IX. Gr. a,aµ.1r4, akampes (rigid). Referring probably to the "small, brittle flowers, in which there is no flexibility." · Acimthophippium Blume, Bijdr. (1825), 353. ·· Phajeae. IX. Gr. &Kav8a. akantha (thorn), e
·

prominent sCarious bracts.

Aceras R. Brown, in Aiton, Hort. Kew., ed. 2, 5 (1813), 191. Platanthereae. V, VI, VIL Gr. a- a (without), ,,pa, keras (horn). From the absence of a spur. or calcar. Aceratorchis Schlechter, in Fedde, Repert. Beik. 12 (1922), 328. Platanthereae. VI. Gr. hiparo, akeratos (hornless), oi,x" orchis (orchid). From the spurless lip of the type species. Achroanthes Rafinesque, in Med. Repos. N. Y., ser. 2, 5 (1808), 352. liiparideae. I, II, IV. Gr_, iixpoo, achrous (uncolored), &vOo, anthos (flower). From the dull greenish color of the flower of most species.

30

Acianthera Scheidweiler, in Orro & Dietrich, Allg. Gattenz. 10 (1842), 292. Pleurothallideae. III. Gr. a,1, akis (point), avO~pa anthera (anther). Descriptive of the pointed anther. 31

---

-----------------------------------......

32

GENERIC NAMES OF ORCHIDS AND THEIR MEANING DICTIONARY LISTING OF ORCHID GENERA

33

Acianthus R. Bro~. Prodr. (1810), 321. Aciantheae. X, XI. Gr. b.,l, akis (barb, needle), liv8o, anthos (flower). From the slender and acuminate floral segments. Acineta Lindley, in Bot. 'Reg. 29 (1843), Misc. p .. 67, no. 100. Gongoreae. II, III. Gr. b.Klv~TO, akinetos (immovable). Describing the rigid, jointless lip. Aclinia Griffith, Notul. 3 (1851), 320. Coelogyneae. VI. Gr. b.- a (apart), ,plvw kline (to choose out). Referring to its separation 'from the genus Dendrochilum. · _ Acoidium Lindley, in Bot. Reg. 23 (1837), sub t. 1951. Ionopsideae. IIL Gr. 6.,o~ akoe (ear). "In allusion to the two ears of the column." Acoridium Nees & Meyer, in Nov. Act. Nat. Cur. 19, Suppl. 1 (1843), 131. Coelogyneae. IX. Gr. Diminutive of li,opov acoron (sweet flag). From the sword-like leaves, which resemble somewhat those of Acorus or sweet-flag. Acostaea Schlechter, in Fedde, Repert. Beik. 19 (1923), 283. Pleurothallideae. II. For Don Guillermo Acosta, a Costa Rican collector and botanist.

i\\\ r ,· \\\ I

i Ii l I a!

' I I \\

Acraea Lindley, in Bentham, Pl. Hartweg. (1845), _155. Cranichideae. III. Gr. i,,,pafo, akraios (dwelling on high). In allusion, per. haps, to the high, mountain habitat.

1

11

I 11 1I· • I:

I!I! Ii

Acriopsis Reinward ex Blume, Cat. Gew. Buit. (1823), 97. Th'ecosteleae. IX. _Gr. ,a,pl, aktis (locust), opsis (appearance). From the ·supposed resemblance of the auriculate coluinn to a locust.

°"'"

6

Acroanthes Rafinesque, in J. Phys. 89 (1819), 261. Liparideae. I. Gr. li,pov akron (point), live~ anthe (flower). For the Jong-_ , attenuate floral segments. · Acrochaene Lindley, Fol. Orch. (1853), Acrochaene 9. Bulbophylleae. IX. Gr. li,povakros (point, apex), xalvuv chainein (to gape). Descriptive of open ·and lax inflorescence which is unusual in this subtribe of orchids. _ Acrolophia Pfitzer, in Engler & Prantl, N atiirl. Pflanzenfam. 2, 6 (1888~1889), 132. Polystachyeae. VII. Gr. a,poAoq,la akrolophia (mountain ridge)." Alluding either to the keels on the lip or, more-probably, to the mountainous habitat of all the species. :: PLATE .A'-1.

Acronia Pres!, Rel. Haenk. 1 (1827), 103. Pleurothallideae. III. Gr. a,pw,la akronia (mutilation). With its longacuminate, filiform petals, and sepals, the many-flowered inflorescence has the appearance of being cut or mutilated.

DICTIONARY !,ISTING OF ORCHID GENERA

35

Acropera Lindley, Gen. and Sp. Orch. Pl. (1833), 172.. Gongoreae. II. Gr. d•po, akros (end), 1r4pa pera (pouch). Descriptive of the saccate basal end of the column. Acrostylia Frappier ex Cordemoy, Fl. Ile Reunion (1895), 227. Habenarieae. VIL Gr. &•po, akros (highest), -,uO,po, eleutheros (free);-q,6po,-phoros (bearing). From the two pollinia-like grains within th.e sack-like base of the lip but free from that organ. Adenochilus Hooker fil., Fl. N. Zel. 1 (1853), 246, t. 56. Caladenieae. XL. Gr. 6.o4v aden (gland), ;i:,l>-o, cheilos (lip). From tlie mid.. 1obe witb calluses. . of the lip which is usually covered .. Adenoncos Blume, Bijdr. (1825), 381. Sarcantheae-Vandinae. IX. Gr. ar,4, aden (gland), 5-y•o, onkos (mass). In reference apparentJy·to the papillose keel of the lip.· · Adenostylis Blume, Bijdr. (1825), 414. Erythrodeae. VI, VII, IX. Gr. 6.o4v aden (gland), aruAl, stylis (column) .. From .the column which is swollen-glandular on both sides. · Adipe Rafinesque, Fl. Tellur. 2 (1836), 101. Lycasteae. III. Lat. adeps (fat). Said by Rafi!l.esque to be dedicated to a Greek nymph, but there is no nymph of this name. Possibly referring to the generally fleshy flower. Adnula Rafinesque, Fl.. Tellur. 2 (1836), 87. Spirantheae. IV. Lat. an(n)ulus (ring for finger). Referring possibly to the sepals which are decurrent on the ovary . . Adrorhizon Hooker fil., in Trimen, Handbk. Fl. CeyL 4 (1898), 161. Adrorhizeae. IX. Gr. aop6fft.adros (stout), ;,l,a rhiza (root). From the Icing, stout, Ver.miform roots of the type species. · · Aeonfa Lindley, in Bot. Reg. 10 (1824), sub t. 817. Sarcantheae-Aeranginae. VII, IX. Gr. olwvw, aionios (ever-lasting): Referring perhaps to the Jong anthesis. PLATE

A-2. Acoridiuni spp.

-

36

GENERIC NAME.S OF ORCHmS AND THEIR MEANING DICTIONARY LISTING OF ORCHID GENERA

~fiillVlSlk_, · pulcheLla,

·

·£imi~

PLATE

A-3. Adenostyiis luzo.nensis A~1es.

Aerangis Reichenbach fil., in Flora 48 (1865), 190. Sarcantheae-Aeranginae. VII. Gr. li.i,p .aer (air), anos angos (vessel). Alfoding probably to the foot-long spur of the lip in the type species. · Aeranthes Lindley, in Bot. Reg. 10 (1824), t. 817. Sarcantheae-Podanginae. VII. Gr. 6.1,p aer (air; mist), av8os anthos (flower). In allusion either to the damp habitats in which species of this genus usually grow ("mist-flowers") or to the epiphytic habit ("air-flowers"). Aerides Loureiro, FL Cochinch. 2 (1790), 525. Sarcantl,,eae-Sarcochilinae. VI, IX. Gr. 6.1,p aer (air), -,l5~, eides (resembling). · Alluding to the epiphytic habit, as "they possess the power of living almost entirely upon the matters which they absorb from the atmosphere." Aeridium Salisbury, in Trans. Hort. Soc. 1 (1812), 295. Sarcantheae-Sarcochilinae. VI. Gr. 6.1,p aer (air). For the epiphytic habit of this air plant. · · Aerobion Kaempfer ex Sprengel, Syst. Veg. 3 (1826), 679. Sarcantheae-Angraecinae. VII. Gr. o.f,p aei (air), (Jlos bias (life). From i.ts epiphytic habit. Aganisia Lindley, in Bot. Reg. 25 (1839), Misc. p. 65, no. 45. Zygopetaleae. III. Gr. ·/J.-yavbs aganos (mild; gentle). Alluding to the "pretty, neat appearance of the plant." • Aggeianthus Wight, Icon. Plant. Ind. Orch. 5, pt. 1 (1852), 18, t. 1737. Dendrobieae. VI. Gr. •'Y'Y''°v angeion (vessel), av8~ anthe (flower). Referring · _ . _ . _ probably to the rather tubular flowers.

J!m6riata, ~klw,n,UYl(JLch file · . ~

PLATE

A-4.

37

40

GENERIC NAMES OF ORCHIDS AND THEIR MEANING ·-,.,

DICTIONARY LISTING OF ORCHID GENERA

41

AMBLOSTOMA yracile.:: flara;y Yar. ro.bu.sl-u~

CSckweief

i:.,

I:

!\ ..",

PLATE A-7. Oakes Ames.

1

PLATE

A-6.

Aniesia Nelson & Macbride, in Bot. Gaz. 56 (1913), 472. Cephalanthereae. I, VI. In honor of Professor Oakes Ames, F .L.S. (1874-1950), foremost American orchidologist, Professor of Botany at Harvard University and founder of the Orchid Herbarium of Oakes Anies of the Harvard Botanical Museum. Amitostigma Schlechter, in Fedde, Repert. Beih. 4 (1919), 91. Platanthereae. VI, IX. Gr. a- a (not), µfro, mitos (thre::,d), ~rl-;µa stigma (stigma). A substitution for the preempted name of the genus: "not Mitostigma." Vide Mitostigma.

42

GENERIC NAMES OF ORCHIDS AND THEIR MEANING DICTIONARY I,IST~NG OF ORCHID GENERA

Amparoa Schlechter, in Fedde, Repert. Beih. 19 (1923), 63. .. . . Oncidieae. IL In honor of Doiia Amparo de Zeled6n, a Costa Rican orchid' ophile who collaborated with Schlechter by sending him material of orchids · from that country. Amphigena Rolfe, in Dyer, Fl. Cap. 5, pt. 3 (191:)); 197. · · . : Diseae. VIL Gr. 6.µ•'Y"*' amphigenes (of doubtful parentage). From its resemblance to"Herschelia in habit and to Monadenia in the single pollinary gland, but distirictfrom both . . . and not agreeing with any other member · of the Disa group." Amphiglottis Salisbury, in Trans. Hort. Soc. 1 (1812), 294. . Laelieae. II, III, IV. Gr. aµ
Androcorys Schlechter, in Fedde, Repert: Beih. 4 (1919), 52, 136. Androcorydeae. VI. Gr. avopbs aner, andros (anther), ,lipus kwvs (helmet): Descriptive of the deeply cucullate- anthers of the-type species.

"'*P,

43

Androgyne Griffith, Notul. 3 (1851), 279'. Co.elogyneae. VI. Gr. avopb')'uvos androgynos (hermaphrodite). From the bisexual character of the flower. Anectochilus Blume, Bijdr. 8 (1825), 411, t. 15, sicut Anectochilus. Erythro~eae. _IX,_ Gr. avoLKrbs anoektos (open), x,,J-..os cheilos (lip). Referring to the hp which 1s adnate to the column but which, through a sharp bend in the rnthmus, has its blades spreading to give the appearance of openness. Angorchis Thouars, in Nouv. Bull. Soc. Philom. Paris i (1809), 314-319. • Sarcantheae:Angraecinae. VI, VIII. Angraecum (a genus of orchids), Gr. 5pxis orchis (orchid). Formed from the first syllable of Angraeeum (of which it is . · a synonym) and orchis, implying a relationship, Angraecopsis Krazlin, in Engler, Bot. Jahrb. 28 (1901), 171. Sarcantheae-Aeranginae. VIL Angraecum (a genus of orchids), Gr. &,/ns opsis (appearance). Looking like Angraecum (q.v.). Angraecum Bory, Vay. 1 (1804), 359, t. 19. Sarwntheae-Angraecinae. VII, VIII. Malay angurek: Latinized form of angurek, the Malay word for orchids resembling Vanda and Aerides in habit. Anguloa Ruiz & Pav6n, Fl. Peru Prodr. (1794), 118, t. 26. Lycasteae. II, III. In honor of Don Francisco de Angulo Director,General of Mines in Peru and student of the local flora at the tin'ie of the Ruiz and . fav6n expedition. Ania Lindley, Gen. and Sp. Orch. Pl. (1831), 129. Phajeae. VI. Gr. iw[a ania (trouble). Alluding perhaps to the uncertain taxonomic position ofthis concept at the time of its establishment (Cf. Ate). 'Anisopetalum Hooker, Exot. Fl. 2 (1825), t. 149. Bulbophylleae. VI. Gr. &vioos anisos (unequal), .-!raJ-..ov petalon (petal). Deseriptive "of the great disparity in the size of the inner and outer petals." Anistylis Rafinesque, Neogen. (1825),.4. . .Laelieae. II, III, IV. Gr. &vuros anisos (uneven), orvtds stylis (little pillar; . style). From the curvature of the column. Ankylocheilos Summerhayes, in Bot. Mus. Leafl. Harvard Univ. 11 (1943), 168. · Sarcantheae-Saccolabiinae. VIL Gr. a"'fKVAos ankylos (crooked), x,,J-..os cheilos (lip). Referring to "the apex [of the lip which is] incurved to form a sharp slender hook." .Anochilus Rolfe, in Dyer, Fl. Cap. 5, pt. 2 (1913), 280. Disperideae. VIL Gr. &vw il,7!0 (upward), x,,J-..os cheilos (lip). From the uppermost position of the lip in the flower which is n:onresupinate. Anota Schlechter, Die Orchideen (1914), 587. Sarcantheae-Sarcochilinae. VI, IX. Gr. av- an (without), oo,; .wrbs oils, otos . (ear). Descriptive of the column, which is without ears. ·

---------==========~~-~,44

GENERIC NAMES OF ORCHIDS AND THEIR MEANING

Ansellia Lindley, in Bot. Reg. 30 (1844), sub t. 12. Polystachyeae. VII. Honoring Mr. John Ansell, a British gardener who collected the type of the genus in Fernando Po in 1841:..1842. Anthericlis Rafinesque, in Am. Monthly Mag. 4 (1819), 195. Cyrtopodieae. I, VI. Gr. 6.v8~p I,. anthera (ant)ler),
45

DICTIONARY LISTING OF ORCHID GENERA

Apaturia Lindley, Gen. aud Sp. Orch. Pl. (1831), 130. Phajeae. VI. Gr. 'A,rarovpla Apaturia (epithet of Athena and also Aphrodite). Significance, if any, obscure. Apetalon Wight, Icon. Pl~nt. Ind. Orch. 5, pt. 1 (1852), 22, t. 1758, fig. 1. Gastrodieae. VI. Gr. 6..-h-~)..o, apetelos (leafless). Referring to the apparent absence of petals which "seem to combine with the posterior sepal forming one of unusually large size." Aphyllorchis Blume, Bijdr. (1825), t. 77. Cephalanthereae. VI, IX. Gr. &
5pxis

_

orchis (orchid). .

Apista Blume, Bijdr. (1825), 296. Podochileae. IX. Gr. b,uros apistos (uncertain). Alluding to the great similarity to Podochilus,_from which itis uncertainly separated by several minor characters.

Anticheirostylis Fitzgerald, in Moore & Betche, Handb. Fl. N. W. (1893), 397. PrasophyUeae. ~I: Gr. 6.vrlx,,p anticher (thumb), uTv)..l, stylis_ (little pillar; column). Descnptive of the short, thick style. ·

Aplectrum Nuttall, Gen. N. A_m. PL 2 (1818), 197. Phajeae. I. Gr. 6.- a (without_), ,rAij<rpov plektron (spur). Because of the absence of a spur.

Aopla Lindley, in Bot. Reg. 20 (1834), sub t. 1701. . 8_atyrieae. VI. Gr. &o,rXos aoplos (unarmed). From the lack of a spur o; the hp. -

Aplostellis Thouars, Orch. Iles Afr. (1822), t. 24. Pogoniea_e. VI, VII, VIII, IX. Gr . .1.-Mo, haploos (simple), ur!Hi,v stellein (to equip). In reference possibly to the simplicity of the small, leafless, o.ne-flowered plant.

S.

Aporostylis Rupp & Hatch, in Proc. Linn. Soc. N.S. Wales 70 (1946), 60. Caladenieae. XL Gr. 6..-opiiv aporein (to be in uncertainty), urv)..ls stylis (style). From the column stnucture intermediate between Caladenia and Chiloglottis. Aporum Blume, Bijdr. (1825), 334, t. 39. Dendrobieae. IX. Gr. &,ropos aporos (poor; hard to discover). Descriptive probably of the very small flowers. ' Apostasia Blume, Bijdr. (1825), 423. Apostasioideae. VI, IX, X. G.r. l,.,rouraula apostasia (separation; divorce). Its very different floral structure suggested that it might be separate from most of the orchids. · Appendicula Blume, Bijdr. 297 (1825), t. 40. Podochileae: IX. Lat. appendicula (little appendix). Describing the appendiculate calluses of the lip. Arachnanthe Blume, Rumphia 4 (1848), 55, t. 196. -Sa,:_cantheae-Vandinae. VI,:_ :IX. Gr. 6.plixv~ arachne (spider), &v8os anthos (flower): From cobweb-like- markings on the flower of the type species. PLATE

A-8. Aphyllo1·chis benguetensis An1es.

Arachnis Blume, Bijdr. (1825), 365. Sarcantheae-Vandinae. IX. Gr. 6.plixvn arachne (spider). From the fanciful · resemblance of the flower, with its usually striped sepals, to a: spider.

46

GENERIC NAMES OF ORCHIDS AND THEUt. MEANING . DICTIONARY LISTING OF ORCHID GENERA

JI

,iJ..

'

AlOf~~ I

R. Br. ex Wallicfi

PLATE

PL-ATE A-9. Aplectrum-hyernale (Muhl. ex Willd.) Torr.

A-10.

47

48

GENERIC NAMES OF ORCHIDS AND THEIR MEANING

Arachnites F. w: Schmidt, Fl. Boem. 1 (1793), 74. Pwtanthereae. V. Gr. dp &xv~ arachne (spider). In allusion possibly shape of the lip which resembles the body of a spider. · ·

OICTJONARY LISTING OF ORCHID GENERA

to the ,

Arethusa Linnaeus, Sp. Pl. (1753), 950. . . . Bletilleae. I, VI. Gr. 'AplOovaa. Arethusa (Greek nymph). Dedicated to the· Greek fountain-nymph, Arethusa, possibly because of the wet habitat usually preferred by most species. Arethusantha Fi.net, in Bull. Soc. Bot. France 44 (1897), 179. Cymbidieae. IX. Arethusa (a genus of orchids), Gr. ave~, anthos (flower). The flowers resemble those of Arethusa. Argyrorchis Blume, Fl. Jav. (1858), 101, tt. 31, 36. Erythxodeae. IX. Gr. apyvpo, argyros (silver), 5pxis orchis (orchid). From the leaves, which have a silver line along the margins and silvery veins. · Arhynchium.Lindley & Paxton, in Paxton, Flow. Gard. 1 (1850-1851), 142. Sarcantheae-Vandinae. IX. Gr. d- a (without) /,vyxo, rhynchos (snout) ". , ·. ~tis distinguished by its rostel not being extended into a long beak." Arietinum Beck, Bo.t. No. and Middle St. (1833); 352. Cypripediloideae. I. Lat. aries (ram). Alluding to "the resemblance of the fl.Ower to a ram's head." Arisanorchis Hayata, Icon. Plant. Formosanorum 4 (1914); 109. Erythrodeae. IX. Arisan (geographic name), Gr. 5px" orchis (circhidf Alluding to the locality of the type collection: Arisan in Formosa. '. ' Aristotelea Loureiro, Fl. Oochinch. 2 (1790), 522. Spirantheae. IX. Dedicated to the Greek philosopher, Aristotle (384--322 B.C.), whose biological treatises dominated thinking well into the Middle Ages. Armodorum Breda, in Kuhl & Hasselt, Orch .. (1827), t. 6.. Sarcantheae-Vandinae. IX. Gr. dpµ6s .harmos (crack in walls) owpov doron (gift). Alluding possibly to a habitat in cracks or crevices of rocks. Amottia A. Richard, in Mem. Soc. Hist. Nat. Paris 4 (1828), 29. Habenarieae. VII, VIII. Dedicated to Mr. Walker Arnott, distinguished botanist, who published several papers on the mosses. Arpophyllum La Llave & Lexarza, Nov. Gen. et Sp. 2 (1825), 19. Laelieae. II, III. Gr. &p,r~ harpe (sickle; scimitar),
5

.

·--.

-::."-:;""'

PLATE

A-11. Arethusa bidbosa L.

49

50

GENERIC NAMES OF ORCHIDS AND THEIR MJaANING ·

Arundina Blume, Bijdr. (1825), 401. Sobralieae. VI, IX. Lat. (h)arundo (reed). From the ree_d-like.stems.

DICTIONARY. LISTING OF ORCHID GENERA

Asarca Lindley, in Brand. Quart. J. Roy. Instit., n.s. I (1827), 52. Chloraeeae. III. Gr. 6.- a (without),
PLATE

A-12. Asvasia variegata Lindl.

51

. --.. _,.,_

52

GENERIC NAMES OF ORCHIDS AND THEIR MEANING DICTIONARY_ LISTING OF ORCHID GENERA

Auxopus Schlechter, in Engler, Bot. J ahrb. 38 (1905), 3: Gastrodieae: VII, VIII. Gr. a~l"v auxein (to increase), ?Cous pous (pedicel). In allusion to the pedicel which greatly elongates alter fertilization.

53

Aviceps Lindley, Gen. and Sp. Orch. PL (1838), 345. Satyrieae. VII, VIII. Lat. avis (bird), caput(head). The flower "ina way simulates the head of a bird." ·

Baptistonia Barbosa-Rodrigues, Nov. Gen. et,Sp. Orch. 1 (1877), 95. Oncidieae. III. Dedicated to Dr. Baptista Caetano d'A. Nogueira, famous Brazilian philologist and ethnologist of the past century. · BarboselJa Schlechter, in Fedde, Repert. 15 (1918), 259. Pleurothallideae. II, III. In honor of the Brazilian naturalist, Dr. Joao Barbosa-Rogrignes (1842-1909), explorer of many parts of Brazil, Uruguay and Paraguay; founder in 1883 of a botanical and -ethnographical museum in Manias, which he directed until 1889 when he accepted the Directorship of the Jardim Botanico in Rio de Janeiro; specialist in the orchids (he described nearly 600 new species and 25 new genera) and the palms; accomplished artist who drew or painted the plants in the field, publisher of the sumptuous Sertum Palmarum Brasilianarum. Barkeria Knowles & Westcott, Flor. Cab. 2 (1838), 7, t. 49. Laelieae. II. In bonor of the British horticulturist;- George Barker,- Esq. (died 1845) of Springfield, England, who imported and flowered the type specimen Barkeria elegans. Barlaea Reichenbach fil., in Linnaea 41 (1877), 54. Habenarieae. VIL Dedicated to a friend, Bario Nicaensi. Barlia Parlatore, Nouv. Gen. Piant. Monocot. 5 (1858); Fl. Ital. 3 (1858), 445. Platanthereae. V. Commemorating Sr. Barla, friend of the botanist Parlatore and collector of the original material of this genus, Barombia Schlechter, Die Orchideen (1914), 600. Sarcantheae-Aeranginae. VII. For the type locality, Barombi Station in Cameroon, West Africa. ~ - -

PLATE B-1. Joao Barbosa-Rodrigues.

Bartholina R. Brown, in Aiton, Hort. Kew., ed._ 2, 5 (1813), 194. . . , Platanthereae. VII. Commemorating the Damsh anatomist and phys10log1st, Thomas Bartholin. Basigyne J. J. Smith, in Bull. Jard. Bot. Buit. 25 (1917)_, 4. Coelogyneae. IX. Gr. {36.u.s basis (bas~), -yuv~ gyne (prntil). From the basal stigma characteristic of the type species. Basiphyllaea Schlechter, in Fedde, Repert. 17 (1921), 77. Laelieae. I, IV. Gr. {3iwLS basis (base), ef,u/\Ao, phyllon (leaf). From the basal position of the single leaf. . Baskervilla Lindley, Gen. and Sp. Oreb. Pl. (1840), 505. Cranichideae. III. Probably in commemorat10n of the famous English engraver, John Baskerville, Esq. (1706-1775).

Batemannia Lindley, in Bot. Reg. 20 (1834), t. 1714. Zygopetaleae. II. "In compliment to James Bateman, Esq., of Kuypersley Hall, Cheshire, an ardent collector and successful cultivator of orch1daceous

··---~ ....

54

GENERIC NAMES OF ORCHIDS AND. THEIR ME/1.NING

55

DICTIONARY. LISTING OF ORCHID GENERA

plants." Bateman (1811-1897) financed a botanical expedition to British Guiana in 1883, which resulted in the discovery of 20 new species of orchids. His "Orchids of Mexico and Guatemala" is one of the outstanding works in orchidology. Bathiea Schlechter, in Beik. Bot. Centralbl. 33 Cl915), 440. . . Sarcantheae--Angraecinae. VIII. In honor of .:M. H. Perrier de la Bathie, collector of the type material and adive collaborator in the study of the_ flora of Madagascar during the early decades of the present century. Beadlea Small, FL Southeast. U. S. (1903), 319, 1329 . . Spirantheae. I, IV. In honor of Mr. Chauncey Delos Beadle (b. 1886), Curator of the Biltmore Herbarium and specialist on the flora of North America. Beclardia A. Richard, in Mem. Soc. Hist. Na,t. Paris 4 (1828), 69. Sarcantheae-Aeranginae. VI, VIL In memory of Dr. Augustine Beclard, Professor of Anatomy in the Faculty of Medicine of Paris. Beloglottis Schlechter, in Beik. Bot. Centralbl. 37 (1920), Abt. 2, p. 364 .. Spirantheae. II, III. Gr. f3e'/.o, belos (dart), -yAwTTa glotta (tongue). Alluding to the hastate lip of the flower.· Benthamia A. Richard, in Mem. Soc. Hist. Nat. Paris' 4 (1828), 39, t. 7.' Habenarieae. VIII. For the Eng1ish botanist, Sir George Bentham (18001884), F.L.S., F.R.S., native of Plymouth, renowned Jor his work on .the plants of the Pyrenees, the British Isles, Hong Kong, and Australia, arid joint author with Dr. J. D. Hooker of .Genera Plantarum. Bicchia Parlatore, Fi. Ital. 3 (1858), 396. Platanthereae. V. Dedicated to Dr. Cesare Bicchi, student of the flora of Tuscany and collector of Italian ·plants. Bicornella Lindley, in Bot. Reg. 20 (1834), sub t. _1701. Habenarieae. VII, VIII. Lat. bi- (two); diminutive of cornu (horn). Referring t6 the 2 small staminodial processes on the sides of the column. Bieneria Reichenbach fil., in Bot. Zeit. 11 (1853), 3, t. 1. Chloraeeae. III. Dedicated to a judge, Dr. Biener, of Dresden, who with extreme liberality shared his herbarium with the author. Biermannia King & Pantling, in J. As. Soc. Bengal 66 (1897), 591. Sarcantheae-Sarcochilinae. IX. In honor of Mr. Adolph Biermann, who, in the latter part of the last century, w2s Curator of the Calcutta Botanic Garden.

L•P.1-""'....._.~

.

.•.

: _;/

Bifrenaria Lindley, Gen. and Sp. Orch. Pl. (1833), 152. Lycasteae. III. Lat. bi- (two), frenum (rein; strap). In allusion to the 2 . straps or caudicles connecting the pollinia and the glands, a character ' distinguishing the genus from M axillaria.

Col'-'"'"" L,p

s,""'"n" r-•·•·~~-"~ ., PLATE

Bilabrella Lindley, Bot. Reg. 20 (1834), sub t ..1701. Habenarieae. VII. Lat. bi- (two), labrellum (up.per lip). Descriptive of the-

···"".·.··.~

. ·~~) ~~·.·

B-2. Bate1nanni2 Colleyi Lindl.

1...o-t~ ......15•.

p~·~

56

GENERIC NAMES OF ORCHIDS AND THEIR MEANING DICTIONARY LISTING OF ORCHID GENERA

57

conspicuous petals which, with the labellum situated beneath, suggest an upper lip. Binotia Rolfe, in Orch. Rev. 13 (1905), 296. Oncidieae. III. In recognition of the work and botanical discoveries of M. P. Binot in the orchids of Brazil. Bipinnula Jussieu, Gen. Pl. (1789), 65. Chloraeeae. III. Lat. bi- (two), pinna (wing). In reference to the 2 wing-like lateral sepals characteristic of the genus. Birchea A. Richard, in Ann. Sci. Nat., ser. 2, 15 (1841), 18. Sarcantheae-Vandinae. IX. For Dr. Birch, chief physician at Otacamund in the East Indies and amateur naturalist. Blephariglottis Rafinesque, Fl. Tellur. 2 (1836), 38 [quoad Blephariglotis]. Platanthereae. I. Gr. (3,i
1l

Bletilla Reichenbach fil., in Fl. des Serres, ser. 1, 8 (1853), 246. Bletilleae. VI. Diminutive of Bletia (a genus of orchids). Implying a resemblance to Bletia (q.v.). Bogoria J. J. Smith, Oreb. Jav. (1905), 566. Sarcantheae-Sarcochilinae. IX. From the locality of Bogar, site of the Buitenzorg Botanical Garden, Dutch East Indies.

BIFR,fJ/ARI}c A{_,~uiiriei

C. Schweinf-

Bolbidium Lindley, Veg. Kingd. (1847), 181. Oncidieae. III. Gr. (3ol\(3iowv bolbidion, diminutive of f3ol\{3b, (a bulbous plant). The pseudobulb is conspicuous. Bolborcbis Zollinger & Moritzi, Syst. Verz. Zoll. (1845-1946), 89. Coelogyneae. IX. Gr. f3ol\f3b, bolbos (bulb), 6px" orchis (orchid). From the conspicuous, ovoid pseudobulbs. Bollea Reichenbach fil., in Bot. Zeit. 10 (1852), 667. Huntleyeae. III. Dedicated to Dr. Carl Boll, a patron of horticulture in · Germany.

PLATE

B-3.

Bolusiella Schlecbter, in Beih. Bot. Centralbl. 36 (1918), Abt. 2, p. 105. Sarcantheae-Aeranginae. VII. For Dr. Harry Bolus (1834-1911), F.L.S., an active student of orchids and author of the two-volume Orchids of South Africa.

58

GENERIC NAMES OF ORCHIDS AND THEIR MEANING

DICTIONARY LISTING OF ORCHID GENERA

59

ELE.-TIA

FLATE B-5. Henry Bolus.

Bonatea Willdenow, Sp. Pl. 4 (1805), 43. Habenarieae. VII. Honoring M. Bonat, Professor of Botany at Padua

University, Padova, Italy. Bonneria Cordemoy, Rev. Gen. Bot. 11 (1899), 416. Sarcantheae-Angraecinae. VII. For. Prof. Gaston Bonnier, editor of Revue

Generale de Botanique, in appreciation of his publishing Cordemoy's notes on the orchids of Reunion. PLATE

B-4.

Bo!hriochilus Lemaire, in Jard. Fleur. 3 (1852), t. 325. Laelieae. II. Gr. ~bOpwv bothrion (little pit), x,,/.os chilus (lip). Referring

probably to the lip which is "either sharply deflexed or saccate (one species with a short, didymous sac) at the apex of the claw."

----------

60

GENERIC NAMES OF ORCHIDS AND THEIR MEANING DICTIONARY LISTING OF ORCHID GENERA

61

Brachionidium Lindley, Fol. Orch. Brachionidiurn (1859). Pleurothallideae. II, III, IV. Gr. (3paxwvili,ov brachionidion, diminutive of f3pax,ovwv brachionion (armlet). Alluding to the short arms on the column which are not stigm,atiferous. Brachtia Reichenbach fil., in Linnaea 22 (1849), 853. Ionopsideae. III. In honor of Captain Albert Bracht, an Austro-Hungarian army officer, who collected plants in northeastern Italy in the last century. Brachycorythis Lindley, Gen. and Sp. Orch. Pl. (1838), 363. PlatanthP:reae. VI, VII, VIII, IX. Gr. {3paxv, brachys (short), ,opus korys (helmet). Referring to the strongly cucullate perianth which sometimes may vaguely resemble a helmet. Brachystele Schlechter, in Beih. Bot Centralbl. 37 (1920), Abt. 2, p. 370. Spirantheae. II, III. Gr. f3paxv, brachys (short),
B-6. Bothriochilus bellus Lem.

Brownleea Harvey ex Lindley, in Hooker, Lond. J. Bot. 1 (1842), 16. Diseae. VII, VIII. In honor of Rev. J. Brownlee, a missionary stationed at King William's Town, Caffraria, who collected the type material in 1841.

62

GENERiC NAMES OF' ORCHIDS AND THEIR ll!EANI.NG DICTIONARY LISTING OF ORCHID GENERA

PLATE B-7. Brassavola nodosa (L.) Linrll. PLATE B-8. Brassia verrucosa Linell.

63

64

GENERIC NAMES OF ORCHIDS AND THEIR MEANlNG

BUESIELLA

_pus{[[a.

C, S ch11!'0{yurt£

PLATE B-9.

PLATE l!-10. Bulbovhyllu1n pachyrhnchis (A. Rich.) Griseb.

65

66

GENERIC NAMES OF ORCHIDS AND THEIR MEANING

Bryobium Lindley, in Introd. Nat. Syst., 2ud ed. (1836), 446. Dendrobieae. IX. Gr. {3puov bryon (moss), {3[01 bias (life). In allusion to an epiphytic habit. Bucculina Lindley, in Hooker, Comp. Bot. Mag. 2 (1836), 209. Platanthereae. VIL Lat. buccula (little ch<,ek). Alluding to the "fleshy broad-toothed concave petals, which stand erect, and apparently adhere by their edges into a sort of vaulted pointed arch, giving the flower the· appearance of having two little cheeks (bucculae)." Buchtienia Schlechter, in Fedde, Repert. 27 (1929), 33. Spirantheae. III. For Herr Otto Buchtien, enthusiastic collector of Bolivian plants, who discovered the type material of the genus. Buesiella C. Schweinfurth, in Bot. Mus. Leafi. Harvard Univ. 15 (1952), 153. Bulbophylleae. III. Dedicated to Sr. C. Bues, a modern and assiduous collector of Peruvian plants. Bulbophyllaria Reichenbach fil., in Bot. Zeit. 10 (1852), 934. Bulbophylleae. II, VI, VIII. Indicating a relationship to Bulbophyllum (q.v.). Bulbophyllopsis Reichenbach fil., in Bot. Zeit. ).0 (1852), 933. . . Bulbophylleae. Habitat unknown. Bulbophyllum (a genus of orchids), Gr. 5,fn, opsis (appearance). Resembling Bulbophyllum (q.v.). Bnlbophyllum Thouars, Orch. Iles Fr. (1822), tt. 93--97. Bulbophylleae. II, III, IV, VI, VII, VIII, IX, X, XI. Gr. {30"1-{361 bolbos (bulb), uA"/-ov phyllon (leaf). Referring to the thick, fleshy leaves-"bulbleaf." Bulleyia Scblecbter, Notes Roy. Bot. Gard. Edinb., no. 24 (1912); 108. Coelogyneae. VI. In honor of Mr. A. K. B. Bulley (date of literary activity: 1901) who, through the collector, Mr. G. Forrest, greatly advanced our · knowledge of the flora of China. Burlingtonia Lindley, in Bot. Reg. 23 (1837), t. 1927. Ionopsideae. III. Complimentary to Blanche Georgiana, Countess of Burlington (d. 1840). _Bnrnettia Lindley, Gen. and Sp. Orch. Pl. (1840), 517. Caladenieae. XI. In commemoration of Gilbert T. Burnett, first Professor of Botany in King's College, London, and author of the· "Outlines of Botany'' (1835).

DICTIONARY LISTING OF ORCHID GENERA

67

Cadetia Gaudichaud, in Freyre, in Freycinet, Vay. Bot. (1826), 422, t. 33. Dendrobieae. IX. In memory of Cadet de Gassicourt, author of a dictionary of chemical terms and of a formulary in France. Caladenia R. Brown, Prodr. (1810), 323. Caladenieae. X, XI. Gr. rnA6, kalos (beautiful), l,.ol,v aden (gland). From the glandular disk of the lip. Calanthe R. Brown, in Bot. Reg. 7 (1821), sub t. 573. Phajeae. II, IV, VI, VII, IX. Gr. rnM, kalos (beautiful), Kv8,1 anthe (bloom). In allusion to the beautiful flowers of most of the species. Calanthidium Pfitzer, in Engler & Prantl, Natiirl Pflanzenfam. 2, 6(1888-1889), 153. Phajeae. IX. Diminutive of Calanthe (q. v.). Calcearia Blume, Bijdr. (1825), 417, t. 33. Corybadeae. IX. Lat. calceus (shoe; slipper). From the shape of the large and conspicuous lip. Caleana R. Brown, Prodr. (1810), 329. Pterostylideae. XI. Commemorating George Caley, Esq., once Superintendent of the Botanic Garden in St. Vincent and an early collector of plants in New South Wales. Caleya R. Brown (vide Caleana R. Br.). Calliphyllon Bubani, Fl. Pyren. 4 (190lj, 56. Cephalanthereae. V. Gr. Kl,.no, kallos (beauty), uA"i-o, phyllon (leaf). Descriptive of the leaf which is conspicuous because of its beauty. Callista Loureiro, Fl. Cochinch. 2 (1790), 519. Dendrobieae. VI, IX. Gr. Kl,."l-"l-,lfros kallistos (very beautiful). Referring to the outstanding beauty of the flower. Callithronum Ehrhart, Beitr. 4 (1789), 149. Cephalanthereae. V. Gr. Ki,.A"i-01 kallos (beauty), 8p6,01 thronos (seat). Its beautiful lip might be likened to an ornate armchair. Callostylis Blume, Bijdr. (1825) 340, t. 74. Dendrobieae. IX. Gr. Kb.A"i-os kallos (beauty), lfrvAls stylus (column). The column is a beautiful part of the flower. Calochilus R. Brown, Prodr. (1810), 320. Thelymitreae. IX, X, XI. Gr. KaM1 kalos (beautiful), x,,Xo1 cheilos (lip). From the conspicuous lip, usually densely bearded with long hairs of a metallic sheen. ·caloglossum Schlechter, in Fedde, Repert. 15 (1918), 212. Cymbidieae. VII, VIII. Gr. rnM, kalos (beautiful), -yAwlflfa glossa (tongue). In reference to the complex and colorful lip of the flower. Calopogon R. Brown, in Aiton, Hort. Kew., ed. 2, 5 (1813), 204. Bletilleae. I, IV. Gr. KaM1 kalos (beautiful), ,rw-yw, pogon (beard). From the brightly hued beard or fringed crest on the lip, a generic characteristic.

68

GENERIC NAMES OF ORCHIDS AND THEIR MEA,NING DIC'I'IONARY LISTING OF ORCHID GENERA

69

•

~"

t I'' ?./-\ \l

i' LI I I

Jl flI I

I H\ I ., \ l

d \'-v1 ~ t lrl\rlt

I

'\\\•,JI ",:-0 \ 1 ;' ,.',\1..

PEDILOCHILUS c!temen.siae L. PLA'.rE C-1. Calanthe 1nexicana Rchb. fl.I.

•

uJ.ms.

PLATE C-2 .

'

DICTIONARY LISTING OF ORCHID GENERA

71

Calorchis Barbosa-Rodrigues, Gen. et Sp. Orch. Nov. 1 (1877), 195. Cranichideae. III. Gr. rnMs kalos (beautiful), 6px« orchis (orchid). In allu" sion to the beauty of this species and its resemblance to a species of Orchis. Calymmanthera Schlechter, in Fedde, Repert. Beih. 1 (1913), 955. Sarcantheae-Sarcochilinae. IX. Gr. KaAuµµa kalymma (hood), ave~pa anthera (anther). From the calyptrate anther. Calypso Salisbury, Parad. Land. (1807), t. 89. Calypsoeae. I, V, VI. Gr. Ka,uif,w Kalypso (a Greek nymph). Dedicated to Calypso, a Greek sea-nymph whose name means "hiding" or "concealment," possibly so called because of its rarity and predilection for hidden or secluded habitats. Calypsodium Link, Handb. 1 (1829), 252. Calypsoeae. I, V, VI. Diminutive of Calypso (a genus of orchids). Implying a relationship with Calypso (q.v.). Calyptrochilum Kranzlin, Engler, Bot. Jahrb. 22 (1897), 30. Sarcantheae-Podanginae. VII.' Gr. rnMnpa kalyptra (covering or veil), xiil
72

GENERIC NAMES OF ORCHIDS AND Tl1EIR MFANU.:G

DICTIONARY LISTING OF ORCHID GENERA

PLATE

PLATE C-4. Calypso bulbosa (L.) Oakes.

C-5.

73

74

GENERIC NAMES OF ORCHIDS AND THEIR MEANING

Carteretia A. Richard, Sert. Astral. (1834), 10, t. 4. Sarcantheae-Sarcochilinae. IX. In memory of M. Carteret, the first to visit New Ireland where the tYJJe was collected in Havre Carteret.

DICTIONARY LISTING OF ORCHID GENERA

Carteria Small, in Torreya 10 (1910), 187. Laelieae. I, IV. Dedicated to "Mr. J. J. Carter of Pleasant Grove, Pennsylvania, who was the first one to lay ·eyes on it." Catachaetum Hoffinannsegg (vide Catasetum L. C. Rich.). Catasetum L. C. Richard ex Kunth, Syn. Pl. Aequin. 1 (1822), 330. Cataseteae. II, III. Gr. ,ara kata (down). Lat. seta (bristle). For the 2 appendages or antenna-like processes of the column, which are turned downwards in the male flowers of most species. Cathea Salisbury, in Trans. Hort. Soc. 1 (1812), 300. Bletilleae. I. Lat. cateia (a barbed spear). In allusion probably to the der..s~ly bearded lip. Cattleya Lindley, Coll. Bot. (1824), t. 33. Laelieae. II, III. Dedicated to Mr. William Cattley (d. 1832) of Barnet, England, an enthusiastic horticulturist and collector of rare plants of the early part of the nineteenth century; he was one of the earliest to build up a collection of exotic orchids. Cattleyopsis Lemaire, Jard . Fleur. 4 (1853), Misc. p. 59, figs. Laelieae. IV. Cattleya (a genus of orchids), Gr. 5,t," apsis (appearance). Like Cattleya (q.v.). Caucaea Schlechter, in Fedde, Repert. Beih. 7 (1920), 189. Oncidieae. IIL From the Department of Cauca, a State in the Republic of Colombia, the locality of the type material. Caularthron Rafinesque, Fl. Tellur. 2 (1836), 40. Laelieae. II, III. Gr. ,avXos kaulos (stem), HpOpov arthron (joint). Descriptive of the persistent leaf-bases which lend to the elongated pseudobulbs the appearance of being jointed. Centranthera Scheidweiler, in Otto & Dietrich, Allg. Gartenz. 10 (1842), 292. Pleurothallideae. III. Gr. ,ivrpov kentron (spur), avO~pa anthera (anther). Referring to the pointed anther. Centrochilus Schauer, in Nov. Act. Nat. Cur. 19, Suppl. 1 (1843), 435, t. 13. Satyrieae. VI. Gr. ,ivrpov kentron (spur), x,,,os cheilos (lip). Des.criptive of the slender, clavate spur on the lip. ,,. Centrogenium Schlechter, in Beih. Bot. Centralbl. 37 (1920), Abt. 2, p. 451. Spirantheae. III, IV. Gr. Kivrpov kentron (spur), -y,t,.ov geneion (chin). From the shape of the spur formed in this genus by the lateral sepals and the column-foot.

PLATE

C-6. Catasetuni integetTi1nu1n I·Iook.

75

76

GENERIC NAMES OF ORCHIDS AND THEIR MEANING DICTIONARY LISTING OF ORCHID GENERA

CATTLLYA £Jeeiert"

"

Ji:?,,,/"'' .J

PLATE C-7.

Centroglossa Barbosa-Rodrigues, Gen. and Sp. Orch, Nov. 2 (1881), 234. Ornithocephaleae. III. Gr. Kivrpov kentron (spur), -yAw
P~ATE C-8. Caiilarth1·on b,i[a·nzellatiini (Jlchh. f.) R. E. Schult.

77·

78

GENERIC NAMES OF ORCHIDS AND THEIR MEANING DICTIONARY LISTING OF ORCHID GENERA

79

Centropetalum Lindley, Sert. Orch. (1839), sub t. 21. Pachyphylleae. II, III. Lat. centrum (center), petalum (petal). From the petaloid column which is characteristic of this genus. Centrosia A. Richard, in 'Mem. Soc. Hist. Nat. Paris, ser. 1, 4 (1828), 39. Phajeae. VII, VIII. Gr. Kevrpwofo, from K.* kephaJ,e (head), Angraecum (a genus of orchids). Differentiating the genus from Angraecum (q.v.) by its short, capitate inflorescence. · Cephalanthera L. C. Richard, in Mem. Mus. Paris 4 (1818), 51. Cephalanthereae. I, V, VI, VII. Gr. mf,aM kephale (head), livO~pli anthera (anther). Referring to the stipitate head-shaped anther. Cephalantheropsis Guillaumin, in Bull. Mus. Nat. Hist. Natur. Paris, ser. 2, 32 . (1960), 188. Cymbidieae. IX. CephaJ,anthera (a genus of orchids), Gr. 5,fm opsis (looking like}. The flower resembles Cephalanthera (q.v.) except for the column · length and number of pollinia.

J

Ceraia Loureiro, Fl. Cochinch. 2 (1790), 518. Dendrobieae. IX. Gr. KEpala keraia (horn). In reference to the subulate, slightly curved petals which have the appearance of a horn. ' . . Ceratandra Ecklon ex Lindley, Gen. and Sp. Orch. Pl. (1838), 363. Disperideae. VII. Gr. KEpas, KEpar- keras, kerat- (horn), liv*p, livlip- aner, andr- (stamen). Referring either to the horn-like appendages to the lip or to the horn-like arms of the rostellum. Ceratiµm Biume, Bijdr. (1825), 341, t. 46. . Dendrobieae. IX. Gr. K.os cheilos (lip), From the two horn-like glands at the mouth of the saccate lip.

PLATE C-9. Centrogeniuni setaceu1n (Lindi.) Schltr.

Ceratopsis Lindley, Gen. and Sp. Orch. PL (1840), 383. Epipogoneae. VI. Gr. «pas, <eparo- keras, kerato- (horn), 5,fm apsis (looking like). From the conspicuous horn-like spur of the lip.

80

GENERIC NAMES OF ORCHIDS AND THEIR M:EANING DICTIONARY LISTING OF ORCHID GENERA

81

Ceratostylis Blume, Bijdr. (1825), 304, t. 56. GlGmereae. IX. Gr. ,ipa,, K<paTO- keras, kerato- (horn), u,v,l, stylis (style). For the usually flEshy column which may have a horny appearance. Cestichis Thouars, Orch.'Iles Afr. (1822), t. 90. Liparideae. IX. Gr. ,iurpov kestron (serrated instrument). Origin and meaning not known, unless referring to the resemblance of the very dense, distichous and compressed inflorescence to a saw..

4-

Chaenanthe Lindley, Bot. Reg. 24 (1838), Misc. 60. Ionopsideae. III. Gr. xalmv chainein (gape), &v8~ anthe (flower). Referring, through the meaning "open-mouthed flower," to the fanciful resemblance of the flower, when seen from the side, to a panting dog with the tongue (lip) protruding and hanging. Chaetocephala Barbosa-Rodrigues, Gen. et Sp. Orch. Nov. 2 (1882), 37. Pleurothallideae. III. Gr. xal,~ chaite (hair; coma), rnf,a,~ cephale (head). The characteristic hair covers the tip of the anthers in the type species. Chamaengis Schlechter, in Beik. Bot. Centralbl. 33 (1915), Abt. 2, 426; in Engler, Bot. Jahrb. 53 (1915), 597. Sarcantheae-Aeranginae. VII, VIII. Gr. xaµal chamai (lowly), &-y-yo, angos (vessel). The flowers are shaped like small vessels. Chamaeanthus Schlechter ex J. J. Smith, Orch. Jav. (1905), 552. Sarcantheae-Sarcochilinae. IX. Gr. xaµal chamai (prostrate, lowly), &v8o, anthos (flower). Referring to the dwarfness of the flowers. Chamaegastrodia Makino & Maekawa, in Bot Mag. Tokyo 49 (1935), 596. Cephalanthereae, VI. Gr. xaµal chamai (lowly, prostrate), Gastrodia (a genus of orchids). Like a small Gastrodia (q.v.). Chamaeorchis Koch, Syn. Fl. Germ. (1837), 692. Platanthereae, V. Gr. xaµal chamai (lowly, prostrate), ilpx<e orchis (orchid). Referring to the small size of the plant. Chamaerepes Sprengel, Syst. Veg. 3 (1826), 702. Platanthereae. V. Gr. xaµal chamai (lowly, prostrate), pbmv repein (to creep). The plant is small and hugs the ground in an almost creeping habit. Changnienia Chien, in Contrib, Biol. Lab. Sci. Soc. China 10 (1935), 89, t. 12. Calypsoeae, VI. Dedicated to Chang-nien Chen (died before 1935), a botanical collector of the Research Institute of Biology, Academia Sinica in -Nanking. His collecting was done in the vicinity of Nanking. Chaseella Summerhayes, in Kirkia 1 (1961), 88 Bulbophylleae. VIL "I am calling Chaseella in honour of the collector [Mr. N. C. Chase] whose extensive collections have contributed so much to our knowledge of Rhodesian plants:•

PLATE C-10. Cephalanthej·aAustinae (A. Gray) -Heller.

Chaubardia Reichenbach fil., in Bot. Zeit. 10 (1852), 671 Huntleyeae. III. Dedicated by Reichenbach to a friend by the name of Chaubard, who is said to have worked on the flora of Europe.

DICTIONARY LISTING OF ORCHID GENERA

83

Chauliodon Summerhayes, iu Bot. Mus. Leafi. Harvard Univ. 11 (1943), 163. Sarcantheae-Aeranginae. VII. Gr. xav)uboov, chauliodous (with outstanding teeth). "In allusion to the enormous tooth on the labellum." Cheiradenia Lindley, Fol. Orch. (1853), Cheiradenia l. Huntleyeae. III. Gr. xdp cheir (hand), l,.h~v aden (gland). From the elevated callus terminating in short finger-like protuberances on the lip. Cheiropterocephalus Barbosa-Rodrigues, Gen. et Sp. Orch. Nov. 1 (1877), 28. Liparideae. III. Gr. x,ip cheir (hand), ,rnp6v pteron (wing), wfrnM kephale (head). Descriptive of the bizarre flowers which resemble a bat's head. · Cheirorchis Carr, in Gard. Bull. Str. Settlem. 7 (1932), 40. Sarcantheae-Sarcochilinae. IX. Gr. xeip cheir (hand), 5px" orchis (orchid). From the distinct, palmiform or hand-like habit of growth. Cheirostylis Blume, Bijdr. (1825), 413, t. 16. Erythrodeae. VII, IX, XI. Gr. x,ip cheir (hand), arv)-ls stylis (style). The lobed clinandrium bears a fanciful resemblance to a hand. Chelonanthera Blume, Bijdr. (1825), 382. Coelogyneae. IX. Gr. x,)-wv~ chelone (turtle), l,.v8~pl,. anthera (anther). Alluding to the bivalvate anther and its fancied resemblance to a turtle. Chelonistele Pfitzer, in Engler, Pflanzenr. Orch.-Coelog. 32 (1907), 136. Coelogyneae. IX. Gr. x,)-wv~ chelone (tortoise shell), or~A~ stele (column). Referring to the conchiformly winged column. Chiloglottis R. Brown, Prodr. (1810), 322. Caladenieae. XI. Gr. x,,)-o, cheilos (lip), ""fAWTTi, glottis (mouth of windpipe). From the resemblance of the lip with its conspicuous callus to the human glottis. Chilopogon Schlechter, in Fedde, Repert. Beik. 1 (1912), 332. Podochileae. IX. Gr. x,,)-o, cheilos (lip), ,rw""(wv pagan (beard). From the barbate claw of the lip. Chiloschista Lindley, in Bot. Reg. 18 (1832), sub t. 1522. Sarcantheae-Sarcochilinae. IX, XI. Gr. x,,)-o, cheilos (lip), ax,arb, schistos (cleft). Alluding to the bipartite or cleft lip. Chitonanthera Schlechter, K. Schumann & Lauterbach, Nachtr. Fl. deutsch. Schutz. Si.idsee (1905), 193. Thelasieae. IX. Gr. X""'" chiton (tunic), 6.v8~pl,. anthera (anther). A projection of the clinandrium surrounds the anther like a tunic.

PLATE C-11. Cestichis spp.

82

Chitonochilus Schlechter, K. Schumann & Lauterbach, N achtr. Fl. deutsch. Schutz. Si.idsee (1905), 134. Glomereae. IX. Gr. X""'" .chiton (tunic), x,,)-o, cheilos (lip). The lip enclasps the colu.mn like a tunic. Chloidia Lindley, Gen. and Sp. Orch. Pl. (1840), 484. Tropidieae. III, IV. Gr. x)-owo~, chloiodes (grass-like). With the "habit of a branching grass rather than of an orchidaceous plant."

84

GENERIC NAMES OF ORCHIDS AND THEIR MEANING

DICTIONARY LISTING OF ORCHID GfJNERA

PLATE C-12. PLATE C-13.

85

86

GENERIC NAMES OF ORCHIDS AND THEIR MEANING DICTIONARY LISTING OF ORCHID GENERA

Chloraea Lindley, in Brand. Quart. J. Roy. lnstit., n. s. 1 (1827), 47. Chloraeeae. III. Gr. xXwpafo chloraia (pale green). Referring to the pale green color of the flowers of several species of the genus. Chlorosa Blume, Bijdr. (1825), 420, t. 31. Cryptdstylideae. IX. Gr. xXwpo, chloros (green); For the color of the flower.

87

Choeradoplectron Schauer, in Nov. Act. Nat. Cur. 19, Suppl. 1 (1843), 436, t. 13c. Habenarieae. VI. Gr. xo,pa, choiras (neck gland), .,,.X#KTpov plektron (spur). From the long, clav,,te spur which is apically somewhat swollen and resembles a gland. Chondrorhyncha Lindley, Orch. Linden. (1846), 12. Huntleyeae. II, III, IV. Gr. xovopo, chondros (cartilage), jhyxos rhynchos (snout, beak). From the beak-like rostellum. Chroniochilns J. J. Smith, in Bull. Jard. Bot. Buit., ser. 2, 26 (1918), 81, 84. Sarcantheae-Sarcochilinae. IX. Gr. xpbvw, chronios (lasting; persistent), x,,Xo, cheilos (lip). Descriptive of the unusually long-lasting flowers in the type species. · · Chrysobaphus Wallich, Tent. Fl. Nep. (1826), 37, t. 27. Erythrodeae. VI. Gr. xpvuos chrysos (gold), f3an6, baptos (dyed). Descriptive of the bright golden veins of the leaves. Chrysocycnis Linden & Reichenbach fil., in Bonpl. 2 (1854), 280. Maxillarieae. HI. Gr. xpvuou, chrysous (golden), ,uKvo, kyknos (swan). From the fanciful resemblance of the orange flowers to a swan because of the bent, exposed column. Chrysoglossum Blume, Bijdr. (1825), 337. Collabieae. VI, IX. Gr. xpvuou, chrysous (golden), -yXwuua glossa (tongue). Alluding to the co)or of the lip in the type species. Chusua Nevski, in Komarov, Fl. USSR 4 (1935), 670, 753. Platanthereae. VI. From the specific epithet of Orchis Chusua Don, which, in turn, comes from a native name for the orchid in Nepal: choo-swa. Chysis Lindley, in Bot. Reg. 23 (1837), t. 1937. Phajeae. II. Gr. xvu<s chysis (melting). Alluding to the self-fertilizing ability of the flowers of the type species which causes the pollinia to appear to be fused together by the time the flower fully opens. Chytroglossa Reichenbach fil., in Hamb. Gartenz. 19 (1863), 546. Ornithocephaleae. III. Gr. xuTpo, chytros (pot) -yAwuua glossa (tongue). From the joining of the stigmatic concavity with the base of the lip. Cionisaccus Breda, in Kuhl & Hassett, Orch. (1827), t. 8. Erythrodeae. IX. Gr. Klwv kion (column), uaK
PLATE C-14.

Cirrhaea Lindley, in Bot. Reg. 18 (1832), t. 1538. Gongoreae. III. Lat. cirrus (tendril). Descriptive of the rostellum which is "prolonged in the form of a small tendril or cirrhiis."

--~~

88

GENERIC NAMES OF ORCHIDS AND THEIR MEANING DICTIONARY LISTING OF ORCHID GENERA

89

Cirrhopetalum Lindley, Gen. et Sp. Orch. Pl. (1830), 58. Bulbophylleae. VI, VII, IX. Gr. Klpp6, kirrhos (orange-tawny, pale yellow), 1rhaAov petalon (petal). Lat. cirrus (tendril, fringe). The botanist Stapf was of the opinion that, "Lindley . . . does not state the derivation of the generic name, which, if correctly spelt, would mean 'yellow petal'; but it is more probable that the author meant to refer to the long strap-shaped lateral sepals which are the most salient feature of the genus, and, in some of the species, would justify an allusion to the locks or curls of a human head, in which case the proper spelling would be Cirropetalum from cirrus -a curl." Possibly descriptive of the petals which are fringed in all of the species. Cistella Blume, Bijdr. (1825), 293, t. 55. Cyrtopodieae. IX. Lat. cistella (little box). Possibly from the form of the anther which includes the pollinia as in a small container. Claderia Hooker fil., Fl. Brit. Ind. 5 (1890), 810. Claderieae. IX. Gr.
CHONDR.ORHYNOHA /usit't!'a PLATE C-15.

d.&Aurejf.

Cleistes L. C. Richard, in Mem. Mus. Paris 4 (1818), 31. Pogonieae. I, II, III. Gr.
90

GENERIC NAMES OF ORCHIDS AND THEIR MEANING

DICTIONARY LISTING OF ORCHID GENERA

91

cnemidia Lindley, in Bot. Reg. 19 (1833), sub tt. 16, 18. Tropidieae. VI, IX. Gr. KP~µls cnemis (spoke of a wheel). Referring possibly

to the basally connivent perianth parts which resemble the spokes of a wheel at the .hub. Coccineorcb'is Schlechter, in Beih. Bot. Centralhl. 37 (1920), Abt. 2, p. 433. Spirantheae. III. Gr. KoKK.vos kokkinos (scarlet), 5px" orchis (orchid). The flowers are scarlet. Cochleanthes Rafinesque, FL Tellur. 4 (1836J, 45. Huntleyeae. II, III, IV. Gr. KoxAlas kochlias (spiral shell), &v8os anthus

(flower). Descriptive of the shell-like appearance of the flower. Cochlia Blume, Bijdr. (1825), 320, t. 59. Bulbophylleae. IX. Gr. KbxAos cochlos (snail-shell). Descriptive of the lip

which, with the bicornate column protruding, resembles a snail with two feelers. Cochlioda Lindley, Fol. Oreb. (1853), Cochlioda 33. Oncidieae. III. Gr. KoX"'°""~' kochlioides (spiral; snail-shell). In allusion to

the snail-shell appearance of the linear calluses of the lip, as described by Lindley for the type species. Codonorchis Lindley, Gen. and Sp. Oreb. PL (1840), 410. Caladenieae. III. Gr. <wowv kodon (bell), 5px< rel="nofollow"> orchis. Alluding to the clapper-

shaped appendages on the lip. Codonosiphon Schlechter, Fedde, Repert. Beih. 1 (1913), 893. Bulbophylleae. IX. Gr. <Wowv kodon (bell), ~l,Pwv siphon (tube). Referring

to the sepals which are partly connate into a campanulate tube. Coelandria Fitzgerald, Austral. Oreb. 1 (1882), t. 2. Dendrobieae. XI. Gr. KO
tudinal raised plaits, hut on the contrary has a transverse bar which fits into a transverse groove in the column, and the pollen-masses . . . are united into a thin ho!low scale easily resolvable into four narrow hollow scales, and from this peculiarity I have named the genus."

2

Coelia Lindley, Gen. and Sp. Orch. Pl. (1830), 36. Laelieae. II, III, IV. Gr. KO
description on a drawing by the botanical artist Bauer who had "represented the pollen masses as being four in number and concave-convex, so that by lying in pairs, side by side, each pair formed a hollow body." This hollow body suggested the generic name. Later, a study of living material showed that Bauer was in error on several points, including the "hollow structure."

PLATE C-16. Cleistes rosea Lindi.

Coeliopsis Reichenbach fil., in Gard. Chron. (1872), 9. Gongoreae. II. Coelia (a genus of orchids), Gr. 5,fns opsis (appearance). Resembling Coelia (q.v.).

92

GENERIC NAMES OF ORCHIDS AND THEIR MH,\NING DICTIONARY LISTING OF ORCHID GENERA

93

Coeloglossum Hartman, Handb. Scand. Fl. (1820), 329. Platanthereae. I, V, VI. Gr.
C.oluTTir,

~·· 0 ,. .

Cohnia Reichenbach fil., in Bot. Zeit: 10 (1852), 928. Oncidieae. IL Honoring Reichenbach's friend, Dr. Cohn. Cohniella Pfitzer, in Engler & Prantl, Nattirl. Pflanzenfam. 2, 6 (1889), 194. Oncidieae. IL Diminutive of (a genus of orchids). Implying a relationship with Cohnia (q. v.). Coilochilus Schlechter, in Engler, Bot. Jahrb. 39 (1906), 36. Cryptostylideae. X. Gr. Ko"iAos koilos (hollow), ,rruXl, cheilos (lip). In reference to the cucullate-concave lip. Coilostylis Rafinesque, Fl. Tellur. 4 (1836), 37. Laelieae. IV. Gr.
PLATE C-17. Cochleanthes fl,abelliforuiis (Sw.)

.R. E. ;:;chult. &

11. .. rn ...,...

Garay.

Comparettia Poeppig & Endlicher, Nov. Gen. ac Sp. 1 (1835), 42, t. 73. Ionopsideae. II, III. In honor of Sr. Andrea Comparetti, outstanding plant physiologist and professor of botany at Padua, Italy, who is said to have been the first botanist to explain the nature of spiral vessels. Comperia C. Koch, in I.tinnaea 22 (1849), 287. Platanthereae. VI. Derived from the specific name of the type species: Orchis Comperiana Stev.

DICTIONARY .LISTING OF' ORCHID GENERA

COMPARL-TTIA /al':,,ara Ar;6? Cndl.

4

5

1

3 PLATE C-19.

PLATE C-18.

94

96

GENERIC NAMES OF ORCHIDS AND THEIR. MEANING

DICTIONARY. LISTING OF ORCHID GENERA

Conchochilus Hasskarl, in Tijdschr. Nat. Gesch. 9 (1842), 146.

Podochilineae. IX. Gr. •o-yxo, conchos (mussel), xm,o, cheilos (lip). Descriptive of the white, purple-spotted lip which is bullate-saccate, resembling a mussel. Constantia Barbosa-Rodrigues, Gen. et Sp. Orch.. Nov. 1 (1877), 78.

Laelieae. III. Dedicated to Dona Constan~:i Barbosa Rodrigues, wife of the Brazilian botanist J. Barbosa-Rodrigues, his companion on field excursions and explorations.

4

Coralliokyphos Fleishmann & Rechinger, in Denkschr. Kais. Akad. Wiss. Wien 85 (1910), 252, t. 3, f. l.

Erythrodeae. IX. Gr. •opanwv korallion (coral), •vo, kyphos (hump; hunchback). From the coral-like humps at the base of the lip. Corallorhiza R. Brown, in Aiton, Hort. Kew., ed. 2, 5 (1813), 209.

Corallorhizeae. I, II, V, VI. Gr. Kopb.Xi.wv korallion (coral), pl!;a riza (root). Descriptive of the often brittle, coral-like texture of the rhizomes or of their cor:;tl-like appearance. Cordanthera L. 0. Williams, in Lilloa 6 (1941), 244.

Tdipogoneae. II. Lat. cor (heart), Gr. 6.v8~pb. anthera (anther). I.n allusion to the heart-shaped· anthers of the type sp;ecies. · Cordiglottis J. J. Smith, in Bull. Jard. Bot. Buit., ser. 3, 5 (1922), 95.

Sarcantheae- Vandinae. IX. L~t. cor, cordis (heart). Gr. -yXwnl, glott,:s (mouthpiece of flute). Descriptive of the cordate lip of the type species.

I

j

Cordula Rafinesque, Fl. Tellur. 4 (1836), 46.

Cypripediloideae. VI, IX. Gr. Kopo&X~ kordyl~/club). According to Rafinesque, named for a nymph; but there is no,hymph "of this name. Possibly referring to a club-shaped column. Vide Cordyla. Cordyla Blume, Bijdr. (1825), 416.

· Pogonieae. IX. Gr. KopouX~ kordyle (club). F;wfu the clavate column. /.

Cordylestylis Falconer, in Hooker, J. Bot. 4 (1841), 74.

Erythrodeae. VI. Gr. clavate column.

KopouX~

kordyle (club), urvXl,

·-'

I

?

. '· ~tfllis (style).. From the · / '

Corunastylis Fitzgerald, in Austr. Orch. 2, pt. 3 (1888).

· Prasophylleae. XI. Gr. Kopuv~ koryne (club), urvXl, stylis (style; column). The style is clubbed at the end. Coryanthes Hooker, Bot. Mag. 58 (1831), t. 3102.

Gongoreae. II, III. Gr. «opus korys (helmet), dv8o, anthos (flower). Referring to the helmet-like epichile of the lip.

j

Corybas Salisbury, Parad. Land. (1807), t. 83.

Corybadeae. IX, XI. Gr. Kopu{Ja, Korybas (drunken man; priest of Cybele). Descriptive of the sepals which simulate a veiled drooping head, in allusion possibly to a priest's headdress or to the nodding of a drunken man.

PLATE C-20. Gorallorhiza trifida Chat.

97

98

GENERIC NAMES OF ORCHIDS AND THEIR MEANING. DICTIONARY LISTING OF ORCHID GENERA

99

Corycium Swartz, in Kgl. Vetensk. Akad. Nya Handl. Stockh. 21 (1800), 220. Dispe:rideae. VII. Gr. Kwp{mov korykion, diminutive of KWpUKo, korykos (leathern bag). Descriptive of the coarse, globose flower .

.

Corymbis Thouars, Orch. Iles Afr. (1822), tt. 37, 38. Tropidieae. VI, VII, VIII, IX. Gr. Kbpuµ{3o, korymbos (cluster). From the corymbose inflorescence. Vide Corymborchis. Corymborchis Thouars, Oreb. Iles Afr. (1822), tt. 37, 38. Tropidieae. II, III, IV, VI, VII, IX. Gr. Kbpuµ(3o, korymbos (cluster; corymb), 6px" orchis. Referring, through the meaning "corymb-orchid," to the corymbose inflorescence of some species of the genus. Corysanthes R. Brown, Prodr. (1810), 328. Corybadeae. VI, IX, XI. Gr. Kbpu, korys (helmet), ave~ anthe (flower). Descriptive of the helmet-like lip of the flower. Same derivation as Corybas (with which it is botanically synonymous) and ·Coryanthes. CostaricaeaSchlechter, in Fedde, Repert. Beih. 19 (1923), 30. Laelieae. II. Referring to Cosfa Rica, where the type of the genus was collected. Cottonia Wight, Icon. Plant. Ind. Oreb. 5 (1852), 21, t. 1755. Sarcantheae- Vandinae. VI. In honor of Major-General Cotton of the Madras Engineers, a collector and cultivator of orchids, to whom Wight was indebted for the type material from Malabar, India. Cranichis Swartz, Prodr. (1788), 120. , Cranichideae. I, II, III. Gr. Kpavo, kranos (helmet). In reference possibly to the appearance of the flower as seen from the front, for the concave lip, borne uppermost, often projects over the column. Cremastra Lindley, Gen. and Sp. Oreb. Pl. (1833), 172. Cyrtopodieae. VI. Gr. Kp<µaorpa kremastra (flower-stalk). Descriptive of the , conspicuous pedicellate ovary. Crepidium Blume, Bijdr. (1825), 387. Liparideae. IX. Gr. Kp~1rl5wv krepidion (little boot). Questionably in reference to the lip. Crinonia Blume, Bijdr. (1825), 338. Coelogyneae. IX. Gr. •pivwv.a krinonia (bed of lilies). Descriptive probably of the flower which bears a superficial resemblance to a lily.

PLATE ·C-21.

Criosanthes Rafinesque, in Am. Monthly Mag. 2 (1818), 26K Cypripediloideae. I. Gr. •p,b, krios (ram), ave~ anthe (flower). Descriptive of the lip in relation to the other parts of the flower, which resembles a charging ram, giving the plant its common name of "Ram's Head Orchid." Crocodeilanthe Reichenbach fil., in Bonpl. 2 (1854), 113. Pleurothallideae. III. Gr. KpoKbo«Xo, krokodeilos (crocodile), ave~ anthe (flower). Alluding to the fanciful resemblance of the flower, when seen from the side, to the head of a crocodile.

100

GENERIC NAMES OF ORCHIDS AND THEIR MEANING

101

DICTIONARY LISTING OF ORCHID GENERA

Crossangis Schlechter, in Beih. Bot. Centralbl. 36 (1918), Abt. 2, p. 141. Sarcantheae-Aeranginae. VII. Gr. Kpoinrlov krossion (little fringe), a·nos angos (vessel). Probably from the pectinate-lacerate side lobes of the lip.

CRANICHIS c.iZiiZrclJiacsc.h:we-inf.

Crybe Lindley, Introd. Nat. Syst., ed. 2 (1836), 446. Bletilleae. "II. Gr. Kpvffov krybein (to hide). The column is hidden by the petals and sepals, as the flowers never fully open. Cryptanthemis Rupp, in Proc. uinn. Soc. N. S. Wales 57 (1932), 58. · Rhizanthelleae. XI. Gr. Kpu1r,6s kryptos (hidden), lwO,µls anthemis (chamomile). Descriptive of the curious habit of Cryptanthemis Slateri in which the flower opens underground. Cryptarrhena Lindley, in Bot. Reg. 2 (1816), t. 153. Ornithocephaleae. II, III. Gr. Kpu1r,bs kryptos (hidden), dpp~v arrhen (stamen). From the "cowled part_ of the column which covers the anther."

2

Cryptocentrum Bentham, in Bentham & Hooker, Gen. PL 3 (1883), 557. Cryptocentreae. II, III. Gr. Kpunbs kryptos (hidden), Kiv,pov kentron (spur). From the spur formed by the lateral sepals which is hidden in a foliaceous bract. Cryptochilus Wallich, Tent. FL Nepal. (1822), 36, t. 36. Dendrobieae. VI. Gr. Kpunbs kryptos (hidden), x,,Xos cheilos (lip). From the lip which is obscured from view by the urceolate calyx parts.

1

Cryptoglottis Blume, Bijdr. (1825), 296, t. 42. 'Podochilineae. IX. Gr. Kpunbs kryptos (hidden), piece). Descriptive of the included lip.

>·,

')'AwTTls

glottis (mouth-

Cryptophoranthus Barbosa-Rodrigues, Nov. Gen. et Sp. Orch. 2 (1882), 79. Pleurothallideae. II, III, IV. Gr. Kpu1r,bs · kryptos (hidden), -
I

;'1 /

Cryptopus Lindley, Bot. Reg. 10 (1824), sub t. 817. Sarcantheae-Angraecinae. VIII. Gr. Kpu1r,6s kryptos (hidden), 1r0vs pous (foot). Referring to Lindley's belief that the filaments,and glands of the pollinia are hidden in a pouch.

;

Cryptosanus Scheidweiler, in Otto & Dietrich, Allg. Gartenz. 11 (1843), 101. Oncidieae. III. Gr. Kpvnbs kryptos (hidden).· Complete composition and significance unknown. Cryptostylis R. Brown, Prodr. (1810), 317. .,,,,·"~:·;,:~,~"". · Cryptostylideae. IX, X, XE Gr. Kpunbs kryptos (hidden), oTvXls stylis)st.\r)ef:J ..c,,t-~" The _column is enclosed in a small chamber formed by the low~p}_gllrt}J;:.t;:'.> '-' the hp. /.!(,.,· '>\"J,.,'"""'' ~ . . {'/11if {jJ.-,!of' {ft l{l_ ' Ctenorchis K. SchumaI.1n, m Bot. Jahresb?r. 27_, pt. 1 (189_9), 467. !L ?Y~c;"-':~ ' ; Sarcantheae-Aeranginae. VIII. Gr. Krns kteis (comb), opx" orchi*iorc~Ji;,~;f;Ji!( Q!i4

PLATE C-22.

<:(,

.

.- · -.

' .

~~. ~.' ,"(j.

-~"""''"'-~_:i:. ·'"

G'.t.

{!:J '-). ,.~,.

·

0i1.4i0,; t ·~ p •.

,

.fl/ L
';,/·, '- ;;

"t;fY_..,.\·

- ~ [,ll!f1;~{rj11\.• ,,.~.-

!,~;-.,_..,,,.,"f'·

,-----

..

102

GENERIC .NAMES OF ORCHIDS AND THEIR ME,\NING DICTIONARY. LISTING OF ORCHID GENERA

PLATE C-23. Cryptarrhena lunata R .. Br.

From the pectinate arrangement of the leaves which resemble the teeth of a comb. ' Cuculina Rafinesque, FI. Tellur. 4 (1836), 49. Cataseteae. III. Lat. cucullus (hood; cap). Referring to the cap-shaped lip.

PLATE C-24.

103

GENERIC NAMES OF ORCHIDS AND THEIR MEANING DICTIONARY LISTING OF ORCHID GENERA

Cuitlauziua La Llave & Lexarza, Nov. Veg. Descr. 2 (Orch. Opusc.) (1825), 32. Onmdieae. II. "We have named this in memory of Cuitlahuatzin, Governor of Iztapalapa, who, with muchtoil, has taken pains to embellish the gardens of western Mexico with the rarest of trees and plants."

105

Cyanaeorchis Barbosa-Rodrigues, Gen. et Sp. Oreµ. Nov. 1 (1877), 112. Polystachyeae. ]II. Gr. Kvav~ kyane, Cyane (a nymph), 5px" orchis (orchidf Dedicated to the water-nymph Cyane, in allusion to the aquatic habitat of this orchid. Cyanorchis Thouars, Orch. Iles Afr. (1822), t. 1, 33. Habenarieae. VIII. Gr. Kvavo, cyanos (blue), 5px" orchis . (orchid). The flowers are a delicate blue-violet. Cyathoglottis Poeppig & Endlicher, Nov. Gen. ac Sp. 1 (1835), 55, t. 94. Sobralieae. III. Gr. Kva8os cyathos (ladle), 'YAwrrls glottis (lip). From the shape of the lip. · Cybelion Sprengel, Syst. Veg. 3 (1826), 679, 721. Ionopsideae. III, IV. Gr. Kv(J~ kybe (head). Descriptive of the flowers which barely open, giving the appearance of little, round heads. Cyclopogon Pres!, Rel." Haenk. 1 (1827), 93, t. 13. Spirantheae. II, III, IV. Gr. KVKAos kyklos 1 (circle), ,rw'Ywv pogon (beard). From the impression of a circle of beards given by the sepals which are puberulent at their base in some species when the flower is viewed from the front · Cycnoches Lindley, Gen. and Sp. Orch. Pl. (1832), 154. Cataseteae. II. III. Gr. KvKvo, kyknos (swan), ~vx~v auchen · (neck). From the slender and gracefully arched column of t,',b male, flowers. Cymbidiella Rolfe, in Orch. Rev. 26 (1918), 57. ' Cymbidieae. VIII. Diminutive of Cymbidium (a genus of orchids). Implying ,/ a relationship with Cymbidium (q.v.). Cynibidium Swartz, in Nov. Act. Soc. Sci. UpsqV,'6 (1799), 7Q. , Cymbidieae. VI, VII, VIII, IX, X, XI. Gr. Kvµ.fJ~ kymbes,,(bo~t-shaped cup). 1 In allusion to the boat-shaped lip. · / . J · 1 Cynorchis Thouars, Orch. Iles Afr. (1822), t. 13. ' · ! ; Habenarieae. VIII. Vide Cynosorchis Thouars. Cynosorchis Thouars, Orch. Iles Afr. (i822), tt. 14, 15. Habenarieae. VII, VIII. Gr. Kvwv. (Kvv6,) kynos (dog), 5px" orchis (orchid; · testicle). From the small testiculate tubers. Cyperorchis Blume, Rumphia 4 (1848), 47. Cymbidieae. VI, IX. Gr. Kv1rHpos kypeiros (galinga]e), 5px" orchis. Descriptive of the long, sedge-like leaves. Cyphocilus Schlechter, in Fedde, Repert. Beih. 1 (1912), 358. Glomereae. IX. Gr. Kv
PLATE C-25,:_~ycnoches Warscewiczii Rchb. ftl.

Cypripedium Linnaeus, Sp. Pl. (1753), 951. Cypripediloideae. I, II, V, VI. Gr. Kv1rp" Kypris (Venus), ,reo,Xov pedi (l)on (sandal), wrongly Latinized as "pedium." Suggesting the beautiful slipper shape of the lip.

106

GENERIC NAMES OF ORCHIDS AND THEIR. MEA)'IING DICTIONARY LISTING OF ORCHID GENERA

107

Cyrtidium Schlechter, in Fedde, Repert. Beik. 27 (1924), 178. M axillarieae. III. An artificial name composed from Cyrtoglottis and Camaridium, because of the resemblance of the lip to that of the former and of the habit tp that of tM latter. Cyrtochilum Humboldt, Bonpland & Knuth, Nov. Gen. et Sp. 1 (1815), 349. On
PLATE C-26. Cypripedium Cal.ceolus L. var. pubescens (W-illd.) Correll.

108

GENERIC NAMES OF ORCHIDS AND THEIR MEANING

PLATE C-27.

({J .·

' ,~!

-f::;:,, j_ '\Y, 1911/{ ,v

PLATE C-28. Cyrtopodium punctatum (L.) Lindl.

.

3

0 .

.

110

GENERIC NAMES OF ORCHIDS AND THEIR MEANING DICTIONARY LISTING OF ORCHID GENERA

Dactylorchis Vermuelen, Stud. Dactylorch. (1947), 64. Platanthereae. V, VI. Gr. oa.KrvAo, daktylos (finger), 5px" orchis. From the dichotomously long- or short-digitate tubers. Dactylorhiza Necker, Elem. Bot. 3 (1790), 129. Platanthereae. V. Gr. oaKrvAos dactylos (finger), /,l!;a rhiza (root). For the digitately divided underground parts. ' · Dactylorhynchus Schlechter, in Fedde, Repert. Beih. 1 (1913), 890. Bulbophylleae. 'IX. Gr. oaKrvAo, daktylos (finger), /,67xo, rhynchos (snout). From the finger-like rostellum. Dactylostalix Reichenbach fil., in Bot. Zeit. 36 (1878), 74. Calypsoeae. VI. Gr. oaKrvAo, daktylos (finger), ura.A,i; stalix (stake). In allusion possibly to 3 lobes and the several elongated basal crests of the lip which might give a fanciful finger-like appearance to this organ. Dactylostyles Scheidweiler ex Otto & Dietrich, Allg. Gartenz. 7 (1839), 405. Ornithocephaleae. III. Gr. oa.•rvAo, daktylos (finger), urvAo, stylos (column). From the prominent staminodes on the column. Decaisnea Brougniart, in Duperrey, Voy. Coquille (1829), 192, t. 39. Cranichideae. III. Dedicated to the Belgian botanist, M. Joseph Decaisne (1807--'1882), native of Brussels and careful student of many aspects of the plant sciences, author of numerous works, botanical artist who prepared the plates for Delessert's publications. Decaisnea Lindley, in Wallich, Cat. (1831), no. 7388. Tropidieae. IX. Vide Decaisnea Brongn. Deiregyne Schlechter, in Beih. Bot. Centralbl. 37 (1920), Abt. 2, 425. Spirantheae. II. Gr. fop~ deire (neck), 7vv'!J/gyne (pistil; woman). In reference to the ovary apically attenuated into a neck. Dendrobium Swartz, in Nov. Act. Soc. Sci. Ups
Dendrocolla Blume, Bijdr. (1825), 288. Sarcantheae-Sarcochilinae. IX, X. Gr. oivopov dendron (tree), KoAXa koUa (glue). Descriptive of the epiphytic habit. Dendrolirium Blume, Bijdr. (1825), 343, t. 69. Dendrobieae. IX. Gr. oivopov dendron (tree), A
~~""'DE:-NDR.OBIUM goufdii PLATE D-1.

J(eicA~ J

111

DICTIONARY LIS'fING OF ORCHID GENERA

113

oeudrophylax Reichenbach fil., in Walpers, Ann. Bot. 6 (1861), 903. Sarcantheae-Angraecinae. IV. Gr. o,vopov dendron (tree), ,.a~ phylax (guard). In allusion probably to the often aerial roots which tightly enclasp the branches of trees. • Derdrorchis Thouars, Orch. IIEs Afr. (1822), tt. 3, 84 • . Polystachyeae. VII. Gr. o,vopov dendron (tree), 5px« orchis (orchid). In reference to an epiphytic habit. Denslovia Rydberg, in Brittonia 1 (1931), 85. Platanthereae. I. Honoring the Rev. Herbert McKenzie Derslow, D.D., "au enthusiastic student of orchids and the only still living original charter member of the Torrey Botanical Club." Deppia Rafin,sque, Fl. Tellur. 2 (1836), 51. Lycasteae. II. Dedicated to a botanist, Mr. Deppe, who collected the type material in J alapa, Mexico, in 1828. Deroemera Reichenbach fil., Poll. Orch. Schol. (1852), 29. Platanthereae. VII. Dedicated to De Roemer, "Liithainensi ac Neumarkensi, qui thesaurorum botanicorum usum magna cum humanitate mihi concessit." Desmotrichum Blume, Bijdr. (1825), 329, t. 35. Dendrobieae. IX. Gr. oeuµ6, desmos (connexion), Bpi~, Tp,x6, thrix, trichos (hair). Frcm the capillary connexion between the anther and the column. Diac;ium Bentham, in J. Linn. Soc. 18 (1881), 312. Laelieae. II, III. Gr. o,- di- (two), ""P" akris (peak; point). For the 2 hollow hcrn-shavd excavations which r:roject up frcm the upper surface of the lip. Diadenium Pce,ppig & Endlicher, in Nov. Gen. ,:c Sp. 1 (1835), 41, t. 71. Ionopsideae. III. Gr. &- di- (iwo), ~o~v aden (gland). From the 2 waxy rollen massrn lccated m:der the ercd of the larcceclate caudicle. Dialisrn Lindley, in Ann. Mag. Nat, Hist., ser. 1, 15 (1845), 107. Pleurothallideae. III. Lat. di- (both), allisus (stuck together). Descriptive r:ro bably of the highly connate sepals which form an urn-shaped flower, the principd character of the genus. · Diapl:.aranth.e Schlechter, Die Orchideen (1914), 593. Sarcantheae-Aeranginae. VII. Gr. o,a
PLATE D-2.

112

Dicerosty!is Blume, Fl. Jav. 4 (1853), 98. Erythrodeae. IX, X. Gr. o,- di- (two), Kepa, keras (horn),
114

GENERIC NAMES OF ORCHIDS AND THEIR MEANING

DIADENIUM .1nicranthwm · 1'oepp. Y Emil.

6

'

,? ,

I

/1·

$

'1

~·I ;:·· . )

,,

:

'

PLATE D-3.

Dichaea Lindley, Gen. and Sp. Orch. Pl. (1833), 208. Dichaeeae. II, HI, IV. Gr. ll,xfi diche (twofold; leaves in 2 ranks). reference to the two-ranked foliage of all the speGies of this genus.

DICHAEAyraminoides dind!.

Dichaeopsis Pfitzer, Entwurf. N attirl. Anord. Orch. (1887), 107. Dichaeeae. II, III, IV. Dichaea (a genus of orchids), Gr. 5,/,« opsis pearance). Resembling Dichaea (q.v.).

PLATE D-4.

1"15

- ·~.

116

GENERIC NAMES OF ORCHIDS AND THEIR MEANING

Dichopus Blume, in Mus. Bot. Lugd.-Bat. 2 (1856), 176.. Dendrobieae. IX. Gr. olxa dicha (double), ,rou, pous (foot). From the fleshy, cuneiform appendage at the base of the column. Dickasonia L. 0. Williams, in Bot. Mus. Leafi. Harvard Univ. 9 (1941), 37. Coelogyneae. IX. In commemoration of Mr. F. G. Dickason of Judson College, Rangoon, Burma, who contributed .to the understanding.of the orchid flora of that country through his collections.

117

DICTIONARY LISTING OF ORCHID GENERA

DICKA.SONIA vernicosa L. p.r.ms.

Dicrophyla Rafinesque, Fl. Tellur. 4 (1836), 39. Erythrodeae. III. Gr. '"- dis- (twice), xpwµa chroma (color), .'i>.o, phyllon (leaf). According to Rafinesque, referring to the 2 colors of the leaf (green above, reddish beneath). The epithet is, however, improperly compounded. Dicrypta Lindley, Gen. and Sp. Orch. Pl. (1830), 44. Mcxillarieae. II, III. Gr. o,- di- (double), Kpu,,.,6, kryptos (hidden). Alluding either to the manner in which the anther is set in a cavity of the clinandrium or in reference to the short peduncle of the inflorescence which is com' pletely hidden by the conduplicate basal leaf-sheaths. Didactyle Lindley, Fol. Orch. (1852), Didactyle 1. Bulbophylleae. III. Gr. ih- di- (twice), oa•rn,o, daktylos (finger). From the 2 extra cirrhi borne on the column below the two which are characteristic of Bulbophyllum. Didiciea King & Prain, in J. As. Soc. Bengal 65 (1896), 118. Liparideae. VI. Dedicated to the collector of the type material, Dr. D.' D. Cunningham, F.R.S., C.I.E., with the initial consonants of his names being proposed for the generic epithet.

J

Didothion Rafinesque, Fl. Tellur. 4 (1836), 39. Laelieae. III. Gr. o,- di- (two), ooO,~v dothio/1, (abscess). From the basally bicallose lip. ,il Didymoplexiella Garay, in Arqu. Jard. Bot. Rio Janeiro 13 (1955), 33. Gastrodieae. IX. Diminutive of Didymoplexis ,{a genus of orchic;ls). Suggest/ · ing relationship with Didymoplexis (q.v.)"/,1' Didymoplexis Griffith, in Cale. J. Nat. Hist.'4 (18~), 38~/t.).7. , ' . Gastrodieae. VI, VII, VIII, IX, X. Gr. olouµo, didyrw,s (1iwin), "~'~" plexis (plaiting). Referring either to the folding causeda( t)ae uniop .of the dorsal , sepal and the petals or to the two wings of the column. •' .

\

Dienia Lindley, in Bot. Reg. 10 (1824), sub t. 825. Liparideae. II, VI. Gr .. lile.o, dienos (two years old). Referring perhaps to a belief that the plant flowers in alternate years. Diglyphi,s Blume, Fl. Jav. 4 (1858), 138. Collabieae. IX. Gr. liLS- dis- (twice), -y'Au.v
PLATE D-5.

118

GENERIC NAMES OF ORCHIDS AND THEIR MEANING·, DICTIONARY LISTING OF ORCHID GENERA

Dignathe Lindley, in J. H
119

DHN.

Digomphotis Rafinesque, Fl. Tellur. 2 (1836), 37, Habenarieae. V, VI. Gr. Ile- di- (twice), "(oµq,o, gomphos (nail), ot,, wro, ous, otos, · (ear). Referring to the clavate-auriculate appendages on the column. Dikylikostigma Kranzlin, in N otizbl. 7 (1919), 321. Spirantheae. III. Gr. o,- di- (twice), """'!; kylix (saucer-shaped), orl-yµa sl:igma (stigma). From the 2 separate convex stigmatic surfaces ·which are usually discolored. Dilochia Lindley, Gen. and Sp. Orch. Pl. (1830), 38. Sobralieae. IX, X. Gr. o,- di- (double), Mxo, lochos (row; rank). In reference to the distichous disposition of the bracts. Dilomi!is Rafinesque, Fl. Tellur. 4 (1836), 43. Laelieae. III. Gr. o,- di- (twice), Awµa loma (fringe; brim). From the 2 longitudinal fringes or crests on the lip.

3

Dimerandra Schlechter, in Fedde, Repert. Beih. 17 (1922), 43. . Laelieae. II, III. Gr. o,- di- (twice), µlpo, meros (part), llvopa andra (stamens). In allusion probably to the 2 large, reflexed lobes of the clinandrium. Dimorphorchis Rolfe, in Orch. Rev. 27 (1919), 149. . Sarcantheae-Vandinae. IX. Gr. o,- di- (twice), µopq,~ morphe (shape), 5px" orchis (orchid). Expressing a "remarkable habit of producing flowers of two separate kinds." ;, Dinema Lindley, Gen. and Sp. Orch. Pl. (1831),lill. · · Laelieae. II, IV. Gr. o,- di- (twice), vijµa nema (thread). From the 2 fine processes on the column. · Dinklagcella Mansfeld, in Fedde, Repert. 36 (193,Ji, 63. • . Sarcantheae-Angraecinae. VII. Honoring tJw'G;;rman merch,!trit, H~rr Max J. Dinklage (1864--1935), for many years active as~la· cl)llector, in West Africa, who amassed an especially valuable collectio fronf Liberia1 for the Arnold Arboretum and of whom it was said: ''.. e,!' the. :woi-Id forgets Dinklage as a merchant, it will still remember him as a scientist." , Diothonea Lindley, in Hooker, J. Bot. 1 (1834), 12. ' Laelieae. II, III. Gr. o,- di- (two-fold), bBbv~ othone (sail). Alluding "to the two membranes stretched from the column to the lip like jibs from the foremast to the bowsprit of a ship." Diphryllum Rafinesque, in Med. Repos. N. Y. 5 (1808), 357. Listereae. I. Gr. o,- di- (twice), q,uUov phyllon (leaf), probably in error: phryllum. Alluding probably to the two subopposit:e cauline leaves. Dipera Sprengel, Syst. Veg. 3 (1826), 676. Disperideae. VII, VIII, IX. Gr. o,- di- (twice), ;r~pa pera (sac; wallet). From the pouches or sacs formed by the lateral sepals.

5

DIOTHONEA exaspera-fa PLATE D-6.

C,. Schweinfi

120

GENERIC NAMES OF ORCHIDS AND THEIR MEANING

Diphyes Blume, Bijdr. (1825), 310, t. 66. Bulbophylleae. IX, X. Gr. li,ipu~s diphyes (of double nature). From th 2 k_inds of growth habit-the leaves distichous without a pseudobulb or bo e smgly at the apex of a pseudobulb. rue Diphylax Hooker fil., in Hooker, Icon. Plant. 19 (1889), sub t. 1865 Habenarieae. VI. Gr. Ii,- di- (double), if,v"/\al; phylax (guard): Fro~ "the two slender spurs of the column, one on each side of the anther." . Diplacorchis Schlechter, in Beik. Bot. Centralbl. 38 (1921), Abt. '2, 127. Pla,f,a'!'thereae. _V.II, VIII. Gr. Bi,r"/\al; diplax (double-folded), 5px" orchis . (orchid). Alludrng to the presence of 2 parallel plate-like keels on the lip. . . Diplanthera Rafinesque, Herb. Raf. (1883), 73. Phlatanthereae. I. Gr. li,1r"Jo.oiis diplous (double), avO~pa anthera (anther). From t e number of anthers.

DICTIONARY LISTING OF ORCHID GENERA

121

. Diplolabellum Maekawa, in J. J ap. Bot. 11 (1?35), 305. Cyrtopodieae. VL Gr. li,1r"/\oiis diplous (doublmg; foldmg), Lat. labellum (hp). Referring to the pleated or folded lip. . . Diplomeris D,. Don, Prodr. FL Nep. (18_25), 26. Habenarieae. VI, IX. Gr. li,1r"/\oiis diplous (double), µ,pLs meris (port10n). From the 2 appendix-like projections on the column: "ob flares appendice duplici instructos.''

Diploprora Hooker fil., FL Brit. Ind. 6 (1890), 26 . Sarcantheae-Vandinae. VI, IX. Gr. li,1r"/\oiis diplous (double), ,rpwpa prora (prow). Descriptive of the conspicuous, spreading bifurcation of the apex of the lip.

Dipt:traden Rafinesque, Fl. Tellur. ~ (1836), 90. ~enarieae. ~IJ;:\Gr. Ii,- di- (twice), ,r"/\ijKrpov plectron (spur), dli~v aden (gland). Descnbmg the spurred lip and the biglandular anther.

Dipodium R. Brown, Prodr. (1810), 330. Cymbidieae. IX, X, XL Gr. Ii,- di- (double), 1r60,ov podion (little foot). Alluding to the 2 stipes of the pollinia which are fixed to the rostellum or to the false caudicles of the poHinary apparatus.

Diplectru_m Persoon, Syn. 2 (1807), 508. · Satyrieae. VII, VIII, IX. Gr. Ii,- di- (twice), 1r"Jo.ijKrpov plectron (spur). From the b1calcarate dorsal sepal.

Dipteranthus Barbosa-Rodrigues, Gen. et Sp. Orch. Nov. 2 (1881), 232. Ornithocephaleae. III. Gr. liL1rrepos dipteros (two-winged insect), &vOos anthos (flower). In allusion to the 2 appendages of the column and the consequent resemblance of the flower to a gnat.

Diplocaulob!um Kranzlin, Pflanzeur. (Dendrob.) (1910), 331. Dendrobieae_. IX, X. Gr. li,1r"Jo.oiis diplous (double), Kau°/\6s kaulos (stem). From the dimorphic form of the pseudobulbs. .

Dipterostele Schlechter, in Fedde, Repert. Beih. 8 (1921), 106. Telipogoneae. II, III. Gr. liL1rreposdipteros (two-winged), <1rfi"/\~ stele (column). · 'pescriptive of the 2 large wing-like processes on both sides of. the small stigma.

Diplncentrum Lindley, in Bot. Reg. 18 (1832), sub t. 1522. Sarcantheae-Saccolabiinae. VI, IX. Gr. li,1riovs diplous (double), K
Dirn Bergius, in Descr. Pl. Cap. (1767), 348, t. 4, fig. 7. Diseae. VII, VIII. Origin and meaning obscure, unless, as Bolus states, "it has been suggested from dis (dives) 'rich', in allusion to the magnificence and beauty· of the flower." The derivation of Disa from a presumed local common name of the plant in South Africa is open to serious doubt.

Diplochilus Lindley, in Bot. Reg. 18 (1832), s~b t. 1499. f!abfn~rieae. VL _Gr. li,1r"/\oiis diplous (folded. \;x,,Xos cheilos (lip). From the sim1 anty of the hp to the petals which gives,.zrie lip the appearance of being duphcated. / ., / , 1 1

D'iscyphns Schlechter, in Fedde, Repert. 15 (1919), 417. Spirantheae. II, III. Gr. Ii,- di- (double), aKvif,os skyphos (cup). From the 2 distinct, cup-shaped stigmas.

Diplocouchium Schauer, in Nov. Act. Nat. Cur. 19, Suprf.{ (1~43) 4$8 t 12A Glomereae. IX. Gr. /i,,r"/\oiis diplous (double), KO"'fX~ oifnch,e (mm,s~l). F)-0 ;,, th~ shape of the hypoch!le, which is cymbiform, and the epichile 'which 18 concave.

,

. Diseris Wight, kon plant Ind. Orch. 5 (1852), 15, t. 1719. · Dispeiideae. VI. Gr. liva,pLS dyseris (quarrelsome). Origin and meamng obscure, unless alluding perhaps to the author's comment that the plant 1s "certainly difficult, as regards its analysis, to represent."

-

Diplodium Swartz, in Ges. Naturf. Fr. Berl. Mag. 4 (1810), 84, t. 3. Pterostyli1eae. XI. {_ir. li,1r"Jo.oiis diplous (double). Alluding to the two lateral sepals wh1?h are umted up to about the middle to form o:ne blade which is twice as wide as the other perianth segments. Diplogastra Welwitsch ex Reichenbach fil., in Flora 48 (1865), 183. Erythr?deae. VII. Gr. /i,,r"/\oiis diplous (double), -y6.arpa gastra (paunch). Referrmg to the basally bisaccate lip.

·

· · . Disperis Swartz, in Act. Holm. 21 (1800), 218. Disperideae. VII, VIII,. IX. Gr. liLS- dis- (twice), ,rfipa pera (wallet; sac). Alluding to the pouches formed by the lateral sepals. Dissorhynchium Schauer, in Nov. Act. Nat. Cur. 19 Suppl. 1 (1843), 434, t. 13. Habenarieae. VI, IX. Gr. liLaaos dissos (double), i>•'lxos rhynchos (snout). From the bifid rostellum with the 2 points projecting forwards.

--~-r 122

GENERIC NAMES OF ORCHIDS AND THEIR MEANING DICTIONARY· LISTING OF ORCHID GENERA

123

Distichis Thouars, Orch. Iles Afr. (1822), t. 88. Li,parideae. VII, VIII. Gr. o,- di- (two, double), urlxo, stichos (row). For the distichously placed floral bracts. Distomaea Spenner, Fl. Friburg 1 (1825), 245. wte:reae. V. Gr. ois- dis- (twice), roµafo, toma,ios (cut). In referenceto the . bifid lip. Diteilis Rafinesque, Herb. Raf. (1833), 73. Li,parideae. VI. Gr. o,- di- (double), rli.a,, rli.o, tilae, tilos (flocks; down). Descriptive of the 2 warts on the lip. Dituilis Rafinesque, Fl. Tellur. 4 (1836), 49. Li,parideae. VI. Gr. o,- di- (two), rui.o, tylos (wart). Signifying the 2 warts on the lip. Ditulima Rafinesque, Fl. Tellur. 4 (1836), 41. Dendrobieae. VI. Gr. o,- di- (two), rvi.o, tylos (wart). From the 2 warts,or calluses on the stigma. Diuris Smith, in Trans. l.;i,nn. Soc. 4 (1798), 222. Diurideae. IX, XI. Gr. o,- di- (two), ovpa oura (tail). In allusion to the lateral sepals which form 2 channelled tails whic],. cross one another.. Domingoa Schlechter, in Urban, Symb. Antill. 7 (1913), 496. Laelieae. IV. For the island on which the Dominican Republic is located. Donacopsis Gagnepain, in Bull. Mus. Nat. Hist. Natur., ser. 2, 4 (1932), '593. Cyrtopodieae. IX. Gr. obvaf donax (reed), &,fm opsis (resemblance). Referring to the reed-like habit. ,· Doritis Lindley, Gen. and Sp. Orch. Pl. (1833\;J:78. . Sarcantheae-Sarcochilinae. IX. Gr. oopv dory (spear), !!.wp,rn Doritis (Aphrodite). Referring to the hastate lip; or perhaps to Doritis, one of the names · · of the goddess Aphrodite.

PLATE D-7. Doritis philippinensis Ames.

Dorycheile Reichenbach, No"?. Bot. 2 (1841) / ( . , . . . Cephalant/J,e:reae. V. Gr. oopv dory (spear], X"Ao, cheiros ,91p ). ').'he hp 1s shaped like a lance or spear. / i 1

strong perfume characteristic of the type species, Ippidendrum grar:ile, of which Lindley said that "the wan~ of beauty : . . 1s amp'.y c~~pensated for by its delicious fragrance early m the mornmg and at mght.

1

I ! Dossinia E. Morren, in Ann. Soc. Gand. 4 (1848), 17.f./ ; Erythrodeae. IX. In compliment to M. E. P. Dossin (1777-1852), a Belgian botanist.

.

Drakaea Lindley, in Bot. Reg. 25 (1839), App. 55. . . Pterostylideae. XI. In honor of Miss Drake, a botamcal artist.

Dotbilis Rafinesque, Fl. Tellur. 2 (1836), 60. . , Chloraeeae. III. Gr. 008,fiv dothien (abscess), 'li.n ile (crowd; throng). Alludin'g to the papillose lip.

Dryadorchis Schlechter, in Fedde, Repert. Beih. 1 (1913), 976. " Sarcantheae-Saccolabiinae. IX. Gr. l).pv_li, JJ.ryas_ (a woodland nymph), opxis orchis. Probably in allusion to the habitat m high, mJSty forests.

Dothilophis Rafinesque, Fl. Tellur. 4 (1836), 39. Laelieae. II. Gr. 008,fiv dothien (abscess), M<j,o, fophos (crest). In allusion to the warty crests of the lip.

Drymoanthus Nicholls, in Yict. Nat. 59 (1943), 173, t.p. 174. · Sarcantheae-Sarcochilinae. XI. Gr. opuµb, drymos (forest), avOo, anthos (flower). From the habitat of the species.

Doxosma Rafinesque, Fl. Tellur. 4 (1836), 9. Laelieae. IV. Gr. obfa doxa (glory), baµfi osma (fragrance). In allusion to the

Drymoda Lindley, Sert. Orch. (1838), t. SC. Genyorchideae. IX. Gr. opuµ&on, drymodes (forest). In allusion probably to the epiphytic habit in forests.

124

GENERIC NAMES OF ORCHIDS AND THEIR. MEANING DICTIONARY LISTING OF ORCHID. GENERA

Dryopeia Thouars, Orch. Iles Afr. (1822), t. 1-3.

Disperideae.· VII, VIII. Gr. lipuos Dryas (a woodland nymph). Origin and meaning unknown, unless referring to a woodland habitat. Dryorchis Thouars, Orch. Iles Afr. (1822), t. 1.

~UCI(gEllA..,

Disperideae. VII, VIII. Gr. lipva, Dryas (a wo_odland nymph), 5px" orchis (orchid). Vide Dryopeia. ·

alticok .

Dubois-Reymoudia Karsten, in Bot. Zeit. 6 (1848), 397.

Pleurothallideae. III. Vide Duboisia. Duboisia Karsten, in Otto & Dietrich, Allg. Gartenz. 15 (1847), 394.

Pleurothallideae. III. Dedicated to the renowned physicist Dr. Du Bo's Reymond. Duckeella Porto & Brade, in Anais Primeira Reuniao Sul-Americ. Bot. 3, pt. 1

(1940), 32. Vanilleae. III. In honor of Dr. Adolfo Ducke (1876-1959), for nore thal) half a century an astute student and collector of the Am:tzonian flora of Brazil.

\

Earina Lindley, in Hooker, Icon. Plant. 5 (1842), t. 431.

· Glomereae. XL Gr. ,ap,vo, earinos (of spring~iOifie; vernal). Referring to the sezson of flowering "in September and October, which in New Zealand is the season of spriP.g."

Eburophyton Heller, in Muhlenb. 1 (1904), 48.

/ , Cephalanthereae. I. Lat. ebur (ivory), Gr. ,,(,:6v phyton (pla;nt). Fr9m the white color of this saprophytic plant, the common ,ylme$! of wl)ich are "Phantom Orchid" and "Snow Orchid."

Echioglossum Blume, Bijdr. (1825), 364, t. 28.

/ /J

... ,'

-

1

.J

. Sarcantheae-Saccolabiinae. VI, IX. Gr. 1xi, echis (viper), yXwuua glossa (tongue). From the blade of the lip which, produced into .a bifid, tongueshaped anterior portion, resembles an adder's tongue.

I

Eggelingia Summerhayes, in Bot. Mus. Leaf/,. Harvard Univ. 14 (1951), 235.

Sarcantheae-Aeranginae. VII. In honor of "Dr. W. J. Eggelingwho has.done so much towards increasing our knowledge of the epiphytic orchids of Uganda.'' Elasmatium Dulac, Fl. Hautes-Pyr. (1867), 121.

Erythrodeae. V. Gr. 1Xauµ.o. elasma (metal plate). Alluding perhaps to the pattern on the leaves which give the appearance of a metallic sheen.

PLATE D-8.

C. Scfiweinf

125

126

GENERIC NAMES OF ORCHIDS AND THEIR MEANING DICTIONARY LIS1'ING OF ORCHID GENERA

Eleorchis Maekawa, in J. Jap. Bot. 11 (1935), 297. Bletilleae. VI. Gr. 1Aos elos (marsh), 5pxcs orchis (orchid). From its swampy habitat. Elleanthus Pres!, Rel. Haenk. 1 (1827), 97. Sobralieae. II, III, IV. Gr. "EAA~ Elle (eponymo,ns heroine of the Hellespont), ilv8os anthos (flower). Dedicated to Helle or Helena, daughter of Athamar and N ephrele, in whose honor the Hellespont was named. Eltroplectris Rafinesque, Fl. Tellur. 2 (1836), 51. Spirantheae. I, III, IV. Gr. ,rA~Krpov plectron (spur). According to Rafinesque, in reference to the "free spur" of the lip, but etymology of first half of name is obscure; perhaps Rafinesque's garbling of 1A,v8,poi e/,eutheros (free). Empusa Lindley, in Bot. Reg. 10 (1824), sub t. 825. Liparideae. VI. Gr. "Eµ,rourn Empusa (a hobgoblin with a vampire's appetite and a custom of travelling in the form of various animals). Alluding possibly to the fantastic form of the flowers. Empusaria Reichenbach, Consp. (1828), 69. Liparideae. VI. Derivative of Empusa (a_ genus of orchids). Suggesting relationship with Empusa (q.v.). Encheiridion Summerhayes, in Bot. Mus. Leaf{,. Harvard Univ. 11 (1943), 161. Sarcantheae-Aeranginae. VII. Gr. <'YXetpliiwv encheiridion (dagger). From.the · long, dagger-like rostellum. Encyclia Hooker, in Bot. Mag. 55 (1828), t. 2831. Laelieae. I, II, III, IV. Gr. <'YKVKAioµa, enk,yklein (to encircle). Descriptive ,il of the lip which encloses the column. Endeisa Rafinesque, FL Tellur. 2 (1836), 52 .. Dendrobieae. VI. Gr. 'Evo~ls Endeis. Dedica,ted to Endeis, wife of Acacus, ,/ / a mythological Greek character. ,,I / 1 Endresiella Schlechter, in Fedde, Repert. l't (1921), 13._,: / Gongoreae. II. Dedicated to a· Sr. Endres, enthusi;,J;tic iollect6'.r of orchids - in Costa Rica. /" ,·., I I Enothrea Rafinesque, Fl. Tellur. 4 (1836), 43. \ / Pleurotha/,lideae. IV. Said by Rafinesque to be dedicai;ed to a nymph, but no nymph of this name is found in the classical literature.

4

~

7

Entaticus S. F. Gray, Nat. Arr. Brit. Pl. 2 (1821), 198, 205. Platanthereae. V. Gr. 1vrnnK6v entatikon (a stimulating plant). Referring probably to a medicinal virtue once associated with the plant. PLATE E-1. Elledm.thus capitatus (Poepp. & Endl.) Rchb. f.

Ephippianthus Reichenbach fil., in F. W. Schmidt, •Retsem. Amur!. (1868), 180, t. 5. Liparideae. VI. Gr. lcpl,r,rwv ephippion (saddle), ilv8os anthos (flower). From the saddle-shaped lip.

127

-------------==========-=-~c-_ 128

GENERIC NAMES OF ORCHIDS AND THEIR MEANING DICTIONARY _LISTING OF ORCHID GENERA

Ephippium Blume, Bijdr. (1825), 308, t. 65. Bulbophylleae. IX. Gr. 1,j,bnnov ephippion (saddle). In allusion to the

saddle-shaped lip. Epiblastus Schlechter, in K. Schumann & Lauterbach, N achtr. Fl. deutsch. Schutz. Siidsee (1905), 136. Glomereae. IX. Gr. brl/jt,_ao-ro, epiblastos (spro1Iting on or again). Alluding_

to the epiphytic habit. Epiblema R. Brown, Prodr. (1810), 315. Thelymitreae. XI. Gr. 1.,,-1/jA~µa epiblema (coverlet, garment, mantle). Sig-

nificance not clear, but alluding possibly to the wide and conspicuous lateral wings of the column which, in fancy, might be likened to a coverlet. Epicladium Small, Fl. Miami (1913), 56. Laelieae. I. Gr. 1.,,-lepi (upon), KA 6.oo, klados (twig). From its epiphytic habit. Epicranthes Blume, Bijdr. (1825), 306. Bulbophylleae. IX. Gr. 1.,,-[Kpiov epikrion (sailyard), a,e~ anthe (flower). From

the column which is basally provided on both sides with 7 hanging sailyardlike processes. Epidanthus L. 0. Williams, in Bot. Mus. Lea,ff,i Harvard Univ. 8 (1940), •148. Epidantheae. II. "The name Epidanthus is derived by taking the first part of the name Epidendrum and adding to it the wqrd a,eo,, a flower, in allusion to the Epidendrum-1ike flowers and the fact that all the species previously have been placed in the genus Epidendrum." Epidendrum Linnaeus, Sp. Pl. (1753), 952. , Laelieae. I, II, III, IV. Gr. 1.,,-[- epi- (on), oj/opo, dendron (tree). From the epiphytic habit bf most species of the genut. Epidorchis Thouars, in Nouv. Bull. Soc. Philom. P,aris (1809), 314-319. Sarcantheae-Angraecinae. VII. Gr. brl epi (up~'), 5px" orchis (9rchid). From -

/1

the epiphytic habit.

,

,;,·,

1

_/

-

,

Epigenium Gagnepain, in Bull. Mus. Nat. Hist. Natur,/ser.,l 4 (1932), 592, Dendrobieae. IX. Gr. 1.,,-[ epi (upon), -y1mov geneion,(&in). Fro~uth~ position

of the petals and lateral sepals on the column-foot.

,,

',

Epilyna Schlechter, in Beih. Bot. Centralbl. 36 (1918), 374. Sobralieae. II. Epidendrum (a genus of orchids), Evelyna (a genus of orchids). "The generic name is formed from Epidendrum, the habit of which the plant possesses, and Evelyna [a synonym of Elleanthus] which _it re-

sembles in its flowers."

_

_

_

'

Epipactis Swartz, Kgl: Vetensk. Akad. Nya Handl. Stockh. 21 (1800), 231. Cephalanthereae. I, II, V. Gr. 1.,,-..,,-a,rl, epipaktis (Pupture-wort: Herniaria glabra). An ancient name employed by Theophrastus for a plant of un-

certain identity (possibly hellebore) which was used by the Greeks to curdle milk.

PLATE

E-2.

129

1

130

GENERIC NAMES OF ORCHIDS AND THEIR MEANING

DICTIONARY LISTING OF ORCHID GENERA

131

Epiphanes Blume, Bijdr. (1825), 421, t. 4. Gastrodieae. IX. Gr. brupavfi, epiphanes (clearly evident). From the prominently pedicellate flowers arranged in a spike. Epiphora Lindley, in HMker, Comp. Bot. Mag. 2 (1836), 201. Polystacliyeae. VII. Gr. bri epi (upon), q,ipew pherein (to carry). From the epiphytic habit of being borne upon other plants. Epipogon S. G. Gmelin, in Fl. Sibir. 1 (1747), 11, t. 2, f. 2; corr. Ledebour Fl. Ross. 4 (1853), 77. Epipogoneae. V, VI, VII, IX, Gr. ,.-t epi (on), .-w-ywv pogon (beard). Re.ferring to the turned up lip which has a fanciful resemblance to a beard, and which was so,called in early botany. Epistephium Humboldt, Bonpland & Knuth, in Syn. Pl. Aequin. 1 (1822), 340. Vanilleae. III. Gr. ,.-.un
I /l'/1

''

Eriaxis Reichenbach fil., in Linnaea 41 (1876), 63. Vanilleae. X. Gr. !p,- eri- (woolly), &!;wv axon (axis). Descriptive of the prlose rhachis in the type species.

I

/

,

,,~

'1 I

!

'

Eriochilus R. Brown, Prodr. (1810), 323. Caladenieae. XI. Gr. 1p,ov erion (wool), xiiXo, cheilos (lip). From the glandular-villous disk of the lip. ' Eriodes Rolfe, in Orch. Rev. 23 (1915), 326. Phafeae. VI. Gr. !p,w6~, eriodes (woolly). Indicating a resemblance in floral structure to Eria (q.v,). Eriopsis Lindley, Bot. Reg. 33 (1847), t. 18. Zygopetaleae. II, III. Eria (a genus of orchids), Gr. 5,f," opsis (appearance). Resembling Eria (q.v.). Erioxantha Rafinesque, in Lond. Gard. Mag. 8 (1832), 247, Dendrobieae. VI, IX. Eria (a genus of orchids), Gr. &veo, anthos (flower). Relating to Eria (q.v.), :for which genus this is a new name.

PLATE E-3. Evipact-is Helleborine (L.) Crantz.

Erporkis Thouars, in Nouv. Bull. Soc. Philom. Paris 1 (1809), 317. Dendrobieae. VIII. Gr. 1p.-ew herpein (to creep), 6px" orchis (orchid). In allusion to the creeping rhizome.

1 132

GENERIC NAMES OF . . AND THEIR M . . EAN.ING ---ORCHIDS

-

(

PLATE

133

E-4. PLATE

E - 5 · Eria magnicall,os "' A&S

r j ,'

I , I

134

GENERIC NAMES OF ORCHIDS AND THElR MEANING

135

DICTIONARY l,ISTING OF ORCHID GENERA

Erycin3: Lindley, Fol. Orch. (1853), Erycina 159. .· Oncidie~e. II. Lat. Erycina (Aphrodite of Mt. Eryx, Sicily). Dedicated t 0

Aphrodite of Mt. Eryx.

·

Erythrodes Blume, Bijdr. (1825), 410, t. 72. · . E}rythrodeae. I, II, III, IV, .VI, IX. Gr. !pvOp,M,~, erythrodes (reddish). Refer-

nng to the color of the flowers of a number of the species. Erythro~chis Blume, ·Rumphia 1 (1835), 200, t. 70. Vanilleae. IX. Gr. !pvOpo, erythros (red), 5pxi, orchis (orchid). From the

color of the flowers.

·

Esmeralda Reichenbach fil., Xen. Oreb. 2 (1862), 38. Sarcantheae-Vandinae. VI. Gr. uµ,6.pa"foo, smaragdus (emerald, green). Refer-

ring possibly to the overwhelming beauty of the flower which made this orchid a jewel in coljections or perhaps to the very deep green hue of the foliage. Etaeria Blume (vide Hetaeria Blume). Euanthe Schlechter, Die Orchideen (1914), 567. Sarcantheae- Vandinae. IX. Gr. ,uavO~, euanthes (blooming). From the showy

flowers. Eucnemia Reichenbach, Repert. Herb. (1841), 53. Cyrtopodieae. II. Vide Eucnemis Lindley. Eucnemis Lindley, Gen. and Sp. Or.ch. Pl. (1833), 161. Cyrtopodieae. II. Gr. ,o eu (good, well), Kv~µ,l, knemis (knee; joint). Referring

probably to the lateral sepals which are joined to the column with a short foot. Eucosia Blume, Bijdr. (1825), 415, t. 18. Erythrodeae. IX. Gr. ,v eu (well), Kouµo, kos(m)os (ornament). Referring

probably to the beautiful, pilose flowers. Eulophia R. Brown ex Lindley, in Bot. Reg. 8 (1823), t. 686. ,Cyrtopodieae. I, II, III, IV, VI, VII, VIII, IX, X, XL Gr. · ·Xb,f,o, lophos (plume). In reference to the crest on the lip.

,v

eu (well),

Eulophidium Pfitzer, in Engler & Prantl, N atiirl. Pflanzenfam, 2, 6 (1888-1889),

' 188., · Cyrtopodieae. III, VII. Diminutive of Eulophia (q,v.). Eulopbiella Rolfe, in Lindenia 7 (1891), 77. Cyrtopodieae. VIII. Diminutive of Eulophia (q.v.). Eulophiopsis Pfitzer, Entwurf. Natiirl. Anord. Oreb. (1887), 105. Cyrtopodieae. VII, VIII. Eulophia (a genus of orchids),· Gr. 5,fn, opsis (appearance). Resembling Eulophia (q.v.). Euothonaea Reichenbach fil., in Bot. Zeit. 10 (1852), 722. Laelieae. VII. Gr. ,o eu (beautiful; good), 68ov~ othone (sail). The perianth

parts resemble sails. Euproboscis Griffith, in Cale. J. Nat. Hist. 5 (1845), 371, t. 26. Thelasieae. VI. Gr. ,o eu (good), ,rpo{3ouKl, proboscis· (trunk; proboscis).

Descriptive perhaps of the anthers which are "parallel with the column, d-0rsal, fleshy, prcilonged'4ito a long beak" Eurycentrnm Schlechter, in K. Sch1;mann & Lauterbach, Nachtr. Fl. deutsch. PLATE

E-6.

Schutz. Siidsee (1905), 89. Erythrodeae. IX. Gr. ,upv, eurys (broad), K!VTpov kentron (spur). From the conspicuously broad spur of the lip.

DICTIONARY LISTING ·OF ORCHID GENERA

137

Eurychone Schlechter, in Beih. Bot. Centralbl. 36 (1918), Abt. 2, 134. Sarcantheae-Aeranginae. VII. Gr. ,~pus eurys (broad), xwvn chone (funnel). Descriptive of the funnel-shaped, cucullate lip. Eurystyles Wawra, in Oestr. Bot. Zeitschr. 13 (1863), 223. Spirantlieae. II, III, IV. Gr. eupus eurys (broad), oru!.l, stylis (style). From the short, broad column of the type species of the genus. Evelyna Poeppig & Endlicher, Nov. Gen. ac Sp. 1 (1835), 32, t. 56. Sobralieae. II, III, IV. Commemorating the English traveller, John Evelyn, Esq. (1620-1660), author of "Sylva et Pomona," a treatise on agricultural matters, published in London in 1664. Evola Rolfe, in Dyer, Fl. Cap. 5 (1913), 268. Disperideae. VII. Gr. ,il eu (well), oil, wros ous, otos (ear). From the dilated arms of the rostellum. Evrardia Gagnepain, in Bull. Mus. Nat. Hist. Natur., ser. 2, 4 (!932), 596. Erythrodeae. VL Dedicated to M. Fr. Evrard, who donated to the Paris Museum a notable collection of plants from Indochina. Exeria Rafinesque, Fl. Tellur. 4 (1836), 49. Dendrobieae. IX. Lat. ex (from), Eria (a genus of orchids). A new name derived from Eria (q.v.). Exophya Rafinesque, Fl. Tellur. 2 (1836), 63 . .Laelieae. III. Gr. 1/;w exo (outer),
PLATE E-7. Eulophia alta (L.) Fawc. & Rendl.

136

140

GENERIC NAMES OF ORCHIDS AND THEIR MEANING

DICTIONARY LISTING OF ORCHID GENERA

141

Galua Blume, Bijdr. (1825), 415, t. 3. Epipogoneae. VI, IX. Lat. galera (hood). Referring to the connivent sepals which cover the column. Gamaria Rafinesque, Fl. ,Tellur. 4 (1836), 49. Diseae. VIL Probably a personal name, but origin unknown.

,, I

Gamoplexis Falconer, in Trans. Linn. Soc. 20 (1847), 293, t. 13. Gastrodieae. VI. Gr. "Yaµiiv gamein (to marry; bind together), ,cA<~« plexis (weaving). Referring to "the cohesion of the perianth-segments."

I

Gamosepalum Schlechter, in Beih. Bot. Centralbl. 37, Abt. 2 (1920), 429. Spirantheae. II. New Lat. sepalum (sepal), Gr. "(a.µo, gamos (marriage). Alluding to the union of the sepals with the petals and lip into a more or less tubular structure. Gastorchis Thouars, Fl. Iles Afr. (1822), t. 31. Cyrtopodieae. VIII. Gr. "Yao,~p gaster (belly), 5px« orchis (orchid). From the basally inflated or saccate lip.

6

1 .

Gastrochilus D. Don, Prodr. Fl. Nepal. (1825), 32. Sarcantheae-Saccolabiinae. VI, IX. Gr. "(aor~p gaster (belJy), xe,Aos cheilos (lip). In allusion to the belly-shaped lip in this genus .

.

Gastrodia R. Brown, .Prodr. (1810), 330. Gastrodieae. VI, VII, IX, X, XL Gr. "Yaorpwo~, gastrodes (pot-beIJied). In reference to the swoIJen aspect of the flower or to the column, which widens ·upward. Gastroglottis Blume, Bijdr. (1825), 397. Lip,arideae. IX. Gr. "Yaor~p ga;,ter (belJy), "YAwrrl, glottis (tongue). Descriptive of the basal pouch or swelling of the lip. Gastropodium. Lindley, in Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., ser. 1, 15 (1845), 107. Laelieae. IIL Gr. "(aor~p gaster (belly), ,,-bowv podion (little shoe). Descriptive cif the naviculate or slipper-shaped lip.

' Gastrorchis Schlechter, in Fedde, Repert. Beih. 33 (1925), 167. Cyrtopodieae. VIII. Vide Gastorchis Thouars.

GALE...AND ~_,z\

G. C)c/zureiyPLATE

G-1.

Gavillea Poeppig, Frag. Syn. Plant. Phanerog. (1833), 18. Chloraeeae. III. From the vernacular name in Chile, gavilu. Geisrnnthera Schlechter, in K. Schumann & Lauterbach, Nachtr. FL deutsch. Schutz. Siidsee (1905), 231. Sarcantheae-Saccolabiinae. IX. Gr. "YE
142

GENERIC NAMES OF ORCHIDS AND THEIR MJ;)ANJNG DICTIONARY LISTING OF ORCHID GENERA

GASTR..ODIA

143

probably to the resemblance of the flower, viewed from the side, to an open jaw.

c!"a .ss i sy ata

Geobina Rafinesque, Fl. Tellur. 4 (1836), 49. Erythrodeae. I, II, IV, V, VI, VII, VIII, IX, XI. Gr. 'Yn ge (earth), {3m,, binein (to have illicit intercourse). In reference undoubtedly to the terrestrial habit. Geodorum Jackson, in Andrews, Bot. Repos. 10 (1810), t. 626. Cyrtopodieae. VI, IX, X, XI. Gr. 'Yn ge (earth), owpo, doron (gift). From the terrestrial habit. Georchis Lindley, in Gen. and Sp. Orch. PL (1840), 495. Erythrodeae. IX, X. Gr. 'Yn ge (earth), 5px" orchis (orchid). From the terrestrial habit. Gersinia Neraud ex Gaudichaud, in Freycinet, Voy. Bot. (1826), 27. Bulbophylleae. VII. Origin unknown, unless perhar:s honoring some obscure collector of plants. Ghiesbreghtia A. Richard & Galeotti, in Ann. Sci. Nat., ser. 3, 3 (1845), 28. Phajeae. II. Commemorating the Belgian geologist, M. Ghiesbreght, patron of botany and collaborator with Linden. Gigliolia Barbosa-Rodrigues, Gen. et Sp. Orch. Nov. 1 (1877), 25. Pleurothallideae. III. In honor of Sr. Enrico H. Giglioli, Professor of Natural History in the University of Florence, who in Italy distributed widely the · $cientific publications of Barbosa-Rodrigues on Brazilian botany. Giulianettia Rolfe, in Hooker, Icon. Plant. 27 (1899), sub t. 2616. Gldmereae. IX. From Mr. Amadeo Giulianetti (d. 1901) who collected objects of natural history interest extensively in New Guinea from 1889 to 1901. . . Glomera Blume, Bijdr. (1825), 372, t. 68. , Glomereae. IX, X. Lat. glomus, -eris (ball). Referring to the capitate or glomerate inflorescence.

\

Glossaspis Sprengel, Syst. Veg. 3 (1826), 675, 694. Habenarieae. VI, IX. Gr. 'YAwuua glossa (tongue), a.u1ri, aspis (shield; boss). From the mid-lobe of the lip, which is tongue-shaped.

PLATE G-2.

Glossodia R. Brown, Prodr. (1810), 325. Caladenieae. XI. Gr. 'YAwuuwo~, glossodes (tongue-shaped). From the tonguelike appendage borne at the base of the column.

Genoplesium R. Brown, Prodr. (1810), 319. Prasophylleae. XI. Gr. 'Yho, genos (race; kind), ,r}.~,no, plesios (near). Allud· ing to a close affinity with thegenus Prasophyllum.

· Glossorhyncha Ridley, in J. µinn. Soc. 28 (1891), 341. Glomereae. IX. Gr. 'YAwuuii·glossa (tongue), pv'Yxo, rhynchos (snout). Referring to the "singularly large tongue-shaped rostellum."

Genyorchis Schlechter, in Engler, Bot. Jahrb. 38 (1905), ;1. . . Genyorchidea.e. VII. Gr. 'Y•vv, genys (jaw), 5pxis orchis (orchid). Alludmg

Glossula Lindley, in Bot. Reg. 10 (1824), t. 862. Habenarieae. VI. Lat. Diminutive of Gr. 'YAwuua glossa (tongue). For the lingulate midlobe of the lip.

144

GENERIC NAMES OF ORCHIDS AND THEIR MEANING

DICTIONARY_ LISTING OF ORCHID GENERA

Goadbyella R. S. Rogers, in Trans. & Proc. Roy. Soc. S. Austr. 51 (1927), 294. Prasophylleae. XI. "For this species . . . I am indebted to Colonel B. T. Goadby."

GOMPHICHIS mac6ridei

Gomesa R. Brown, in Bot. Mag. 41 (1815), t. 1748. Oneidieae. II, III. Commemorating Dr. Bernardino Antonio Gomes, a Portuguese naval physician and botanist, writer of a book on the medicinal plants of Brazil. Gomphichis Lindley, Gen. and Sp. Orch. PL (1840), 446. Cranichideae. II, III. Gr. 'fDµ.<{,o, gomphos (nail; club). Referring possibly to the glandular hairs, which, on the flowers of the type species, stand up like nails partly driven into a surface, or to the club-shaped column. Gonatostylis Schlechter, in Engler, Bot. Jahrb. 39 (1906), 56. Erythrodeae. X. Gr. 'fova,os gonatos (jointed; with bent knee), ~,uXl, stylis (style). Descriptive of the column which is bent in a sigmoid manner. Gongora Ruiz & Pav6n, FL Peruv. Prodr. (1794), 117, t. 25. Gongoreae. II, III. In dedication to Don Antonio Caballero y G6ngora., Bishop of Cordoba., Spa.in, at one time Viceroy of New Granada and enthusiastic patron of Don Celestino Mutis. Gonogona Link, Enum. Hort. Bero!. 2 (1822), 369. Erythrodeae. I, V, VI. Origin and meaning unknown. Goodyera R. Brown, in Aiton, Hort. Kew., ed. 2, 5 (1813), 197. Erythrodeae. I, II, IV, V, VI, VII, VIII, IX, XI. For the English botanist John Goodyer, Esq. (15£2-1664), of Hamrshire, England, who was mentioned in Gerard's "Herbal."· !

Gorgoglossum F. C. Lehmann, in Gard. Chron,.fser. 3; 21 (1897), 346. · Gongoreae. II, III. Gr. ronw Gorgo ("the grlm one"), 'fAw~~a glossa (tongue).· Alluding to the excessively fimbriate margin of the lip and petals and the fancied resemblance of these parts to the snakJ-covered head of the Gorgon. _ _,/' , / _ (Vide Frontispiece.) JP

,,

f

;/

I

Govenia Lindley ex Loddiges, Bot. Cab. 18 ,(1831)1 t. 17!)9. Q · , 1 • Cyrtopodieae. I, II, III, IV. Commemoratmg J. R. D'owert; Esq., an Enghsh gardener and horticulturist and plant collector i:r!'"'Assam, whd Jived in the first part of the nineteenth century. ,,, Govindooia Wight, Icon. Plant. Ind. Orch. 6 (1853), 34, t. 2090. Tropidieae. VI. Dedicated "to the artist whose facile pencil produced the drawings for the greater part of the plates of the last three volumes, of 'the !cones' aicd whcse skill in analytical delineation is, I believe, as yet quite unrivalled among his countrymen, and, but for his imperfect.knowledge of perspective, rarely excelled by European artists." Grammangis Reichenbach fil., in Hamb. Gartenz. 16,'(1860), 520. Cymbidieae. VIII, IX. Gr. 'fpaµµ.a gramma (letter; mark), anos angos (vessel). Significance obscure, unless referring to the conspicuous red-purr le Jines with which the lip is marked.

PLATE G-3.

0. Jchweinj'

145

146

GENERIC NAMES OF ORCHIDS AND THEIR MEANING

147

DICTIONARY ):,!STING OF ORCHID GENERA

u

.

.

.

~,

1·

I,

.

4

2,

PLATE G-5. Goodyera pubescens R. Br.

Grainmatophyllum Blume, Rijdr. (1825), 377, t. 20. PLATE G-4. Gongora rnaculata Lindl.

Cymbidi.eae. IX. Gr. -ypb.µ,µ,a gramma (letter), <J,{il\l\ov phyllon (leaf). From the dark and conspicuous markings of the sepals and petals. Graphorchis Thouars, in Nouv. Bull. Soc. Philom. Paris 1 (1809), 314-319.

Cyrtopodieae. II, HI, IV, VII, VIII, IX. Gr. -ypa<J,h graphe (writing), opx"

------

148

GENERIC NAMES OF ORCHIDS AND' THEIR "MEANING DICTIONARY--_LISTING OF ORCHID GENERA

orckis (orchid). Significance obscure, as no markings are apparent on the flowers of the type species. -

Grastidium Blume, Bijdr. (1825), 333. _ Deruirobieae. IX. Gr. 7po.
149

Gyrostachys Persoon, Syn. Pl. 2 (1807), 511. Spirantkeae. I, II, III, IV, V, VI. Gr. 7vpb, gyros (rounded),
Grobya Lindley, in Bot. Reg. 20 (1835), t. 1740. Grobyeae. III. Honoring Lord Grey of Groby, England (d. 1836), patron of horticulture and early orchid grower. Grosourdya Reichenbach Iii., in Bot. Zeit. 22 (1864), 297. _ Sarcantkeae-Sarcockilinae. IX. In compliment to Herr Dr. von Grosourdy, · specialist on the medicinal plants of tropical South America. Gunnia Lindley, in Bot. Reg. 20 (1835), sub t. 1699. Sarcantkeae-Sarcockilinae. XI. In honor of "our liberal correspondent, Ronald J. Gunn, Esq., who is now examining the vegetation of Van Diemen's Land." Gussonea A. Richard, in Mem. Soc. Hist. Nat. Paris 4 (1828), 67. Sarcantkeae-Aeranginae. VII, VIII. Dedicated to M. Gusson, Sicilian bota- nist and Director of the botanical garden at Bocca di Falco near Palermo. I ' Gyaladenia Schlechter, in Beik. Bot. Centralbl. 38 (1921), Abt. 2, 124. Platantkereae. VII. Gr. 7uo.">.ov gyalon (hollow), 6.li~v aden (gland). Referring · · probably to the concave and cucullate lobes of the rostellum. Gyas Salisbury, in Trans. Hort. Soc. 1 (1812), 299. Bletilleae. IV. Gr. rv~, Gyas (a giant). Origin and meaning obscure, unless r referring to the tall habit of the plant.

,et!.

Gymnadenia R. Brown, in Aiton, Hort. Kew., 2, 5 (1813), 191. _ Platantkereae. V, VI. Gr. 7vµ.v6, gymnos (naked), 6./i~v aden. (gland). From the sticky disk of the pollinia which are free on each side of the rostellum not in a bursicula. ,) ' '

9_,{:.

Gymnadeni~psis Rydberg, in_Britton, Mon. F~.·$tatesapd (1901), 293. Haberi:arieae. I. _Gy_mn_adenia (a genus o.f orab1ds), Gr. -5,;i, opjlis (appearance). to a S1m!lar1ty to Gymnadenia (q.v.). - · ,./ •'. , Alludmg . I Gymnochilus Blume, Fl. Jav. 4 (1858), 90. ' Erytkrodeae. VIII. Gr. 7vµ.vo, gymnos (naked), xe,">.o, ckeilos (lip). Frbm the lip which is naked or unadorned with callus within. Gynizodon Rafinesque, Fl. Tellur. 4 (1836), 40. Oncidieae. III. Gr. 7vvi!:o- gynizo- (stigma in orchids), 61iov, (boon-) odous (tooth). Descriptive of the bidentate gynizus. _ Gynoglottis J. J. Smith, in Rec. Trav. Bot. Neer!. 1 (1904), 49. Coelogyneae. IX. Gr. 7vv~ gyne (woman), 7">.wrrl, gfottis (tongue). In allusion possibly to the lip, the claw of which is adnate to the column to form a basally inflated and apically constricted tube, suggestive of the mammalian female organ.

Habenaria Willdenow, Sp. Pl. 4 (1805), 44. Habenarieae. I, II, III,IV, V, VI, VII, VIII, IX, X, XI. Lat. habena (reins). From the long, strap-like divisions of the petals and lip. Habenella Small, Fl. Southeast U.S. (1903), 316, 1929. Habenarieae. I. Diminutive of Habenaria (a genus of orchids). Indicating relationship to Habenaria (q.v.). Habenorkis Thouars, in Nouv. Bull. Soc. Pkilom. Paris 1 (1809), 317. Habenarieae. VIII. Habenaria (a genus of orchids). Gr. 5px" orckis (orchid). Indicating a relationship to Habenaria (q.v). Haemaria Lindley, Orch. Seel. (1826), 9. _· Erythrodeae. VI. Gr. alµ.o. haima (blood). Descriptive of the sheathing bracts which are blood-red beneath. Haematorchis Blume, Rumpkia 4 (1848), t. 200b. Vanilleae. _IX. Gr. alµa haima (blood); 5px" orckis (orchid). The stems of some species have a reddish-brown hue. Hakoneaste Maekawa, in Bot. Mag. Tokyo 49 (1935), 598. Liparideae. VI. Hakone (geographical name), Gr. a
150

GENERIC NAMES OF ORCHIDS AND THEIR MEANING DICTIONARY. LISTING OF ORCHID GENERA c>rassic,,ornt',<,-

?i&J3ENA;§_lk_,

rwmaea- .

C S ckwei11f & 'l(E. S ckuit:u

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PLATE H-lb.

PLATE H-la.

151

152

GENERIC NAMES OF ORCHIDS AND THEIR MEANING DICTIONARY LISTING OF ORCHID GENERA

Haplochilus Endlicher, Gen. Pl. Suppl. 2 (1842), 20. Erythrodeae. IX. Gr. ,hrAou, haplos (single), xe'iAo, cheilos (lip). Referring to the long-protruding lip which dominates the other perianth parts. Haplostellis Endlicher, Gen. Pl. (1837), 219. Bletilleae. I, VI. Gr.
Helcia Lindley, in Bot. Reg. 31 (1845) Misc. p~17 · , Oncidieae. III. Lat. helcium (horse-collar; Y. e). From the hollow, hairy pit at the base of the lip which, when see rom'the froiat, 116oks, with the anther and column, "like an old-fashione(i headLiiress,,Peefiing over one of those starched high collars such as ladies wore in the <J;,&s of Quee~ Elizabeth; i or through a horse collar decorated with gaudy rib'bon~." Helictonia Ehrh\trt, Beitr. 4 (1789), 148. Spirantheae. V. Gr. iA;K'r~p helikter (coil). Descriptive probably of the spiralled inflorescence. Helleborine 0. Kuntze, Rev. Gen. Pl. 2 (1891), 665. Cephalanthereae. I, V, VI. Gr. iAAe{Jopo, hellebore (a ranuncu]aceous plant). From a superficial resemblance to some species of HeUeborus. Hellerorchis A. Hawkes, in Orch. J. 3 (1959), 275. Oncidieae. III. "In honor of our distinguished colleague, Mr. Alfonse H. Heller of Managua, Nicaragua, who for many years has actively joined us in our studies of the Orchidaceae."

PLATE H-2. Harrisella porrecta (Rchb. fil.) Fawc. & Rendle.

153

154

GENERIC NAMES OF ORCHIDS AND THEIR ME.ANING

DICTIONARY LISTING OF ORCHID GENERA

155

Helorchis Schlechter, in Fedde, Repert Beih. 33 (1925), 35. Hahenarieae. VIII. Gr. 1Xos he/,os (marsh), 8px" orchis (orchid). From its bog habitat. Hemihabenaria Finet, in Rev. Gen. Bot. 13 (1901), 532. Habenarieae. VI. Gr. ~!" hemi (half), Habenaria (a genus of orchids). Alluding to a close relationship with Habenaria (q.v.). Hemiperis Frappier ex Cordemoy, Fl. Ile Reunion (1895), 235. Satyrieae. VIII. Gr. ~J" hemi (half), ,r~pLs peris (scrotum). Descriptive of the two filiform caudicles which are, for half their length, immersed in the epidermis of the under surface of the rostellum. Hemipilia Lindley, Gen. and Sp. Orch. PL (1835), 296. Platanthereae. VI, IX. Gr. ~µ, hemi (half), 1r,Xos pilos (felt). Alluding probably to the sparsely hirsute lip of the type species. Hemiscleria Lindley, Fol. Orch. (1853), Hemiscleria 165. Laelieae. III. Gr. ~µ, hemi (half), u<X~pbs skleros (hard). From the harsh texture of the vegetative parts.

./ PLATE

H-3.

'

Henosis Hooker fil., FL Brit. Ind. 5 (1890), 771. Bulbophylleae. VI. Gr. 1vwrn henosis (union). Alluding to the adnation of the sepals to the prolonged column-foot. Herminiuin R. Brown, in Aiton, Hort. Kew., ed. 2, 5 (1813), 191. Hahenarieae. V, VI, IX. Gr. lpµLv hermin (bed-post), Hermes (Mercury), ·. Lat. (h)ermineus (white like ermine). Descriptive possibly of the stunted staminodia which stand on each side of the. anther, or refers to the resemblance of the inflorescence to a carved bed-post. Perhaps alluding to the shape of the tubers which are thought to resemble the knobs on the posts of antique beds. Possibly in reference to the prevailing whiteness of the flowers. According'to Lindley, "an unexplained name of Linnaeus, mentioned in his Philosopliia Botanica under the head of words derived from the titles of divinities: from which it is to be supposed that it has some reference to the god Mercury: . . . " Herpysma Lindley, in Wallich, Cat. (1832), 7389. Erythrodeae. VI, IX. Gr. lp,rvuµ.bs herpysmos (creeping). From its creeping habit. Herschelia Lindley, Gen. and Sp. Orch. PL (1838), 362. · Diseae. VII, VIII. Honoring the British astronomer, Sir John F. W. Herschel (1792-1871), son of Sir Frederick William Herschel, the Hanoverian astronomer who carried out his scientific work in England. Hetaeria Blume, FL Jav. (1858), 84. Erythrodeae. VI, VII, 'IX, X. Gr. ITa,p,La hetaireia (companionship). Referring to the intimate association of plants of this genus with species of Goodyera and other genera of the tribe N eottieae. Heterotaxis Lindley, in Bot. Reg. 12 (1826), t. 1028. Maxillarieae. IV. Gr. 1repos heteros (other; differing), rH<1 W:tis (order). In

~--- r·---------------------------------------------

156

GENERIC NAMES OF ORCHIDS AND THEIR MEANING DICTIONARY -LISTING OF ORCHID GENERA

allusion probably to an intermediate position of the genus which has its immediate affinity with Arethusa but whi_ch "may be considered a connect~ ing link between Arethuseae and Epidendreae." Hexadesmia Brongniart, in Ann. Sci. Nat., ser. 2, 17 (1842), 44. • Laelieae. II, III. Gr. hex (six), owµ6s desmos (chain; bond). ln allusion to the six pollinia. '

1,

157

Jiexalectris Rafinesque, Neogen-. (1825), 4. Phajeae. I, II. Gr. hex (six), aX,KTpvwv alectryon (cock). From the several longitudinal fleshy crests on the disk of the lip which resemble cock's combs.

1,

IIexameria,R. Brown, in Bennett, Pl. Jav. Rar. (1838), 26, t. 7. Podochileae. IX. Gr. 1, hex (six), µepos meros (part). From the 6 similar perianth segments. IIexisea Lindley, in Hooker, J. Bot. 1 (1834), 7. Laelieae. II, III, IV. Gr. hex (six), lo-os isos (equal). From the equal size and the similarity in shape of the perianth segments.

1,

IIexopia Bateman ex Lindley, in Bot. Reg. 26 (1840), Misc. p. 46. Laelieae. II, III. Gr. hex (six), w,r~ ope (appearance). Referring probably to the 6 pollinia.

1,

£ ''

'

IIimantoglossum Koch, Syn. Fl. Germ. et Helv., ed. 1 (1837), 689. Platanthereae. V, VI. Gr. lµas himas (strap), 7Xwo-o-a glossa (tongue). From the long, strap-like projection of the lip. IIintonella Ames, in Bot. Mus. Leafi. Harvard Univ. 6 (1938), 185. Ornithocephaleae. II. Dedicated to the contemporary plant-collector, Mr. George Hinton of Temascaltepec, Mexico, whose extensive botanical explorations markedly increased our knowledge of the orchid flora of the country. f[ippeophyllum Schlechter, in K._ Schumann & Lauterbach, Nachtr. Fl. deutsch. Schutz. Siidsee (1905), 107. Liparideae. VI, IX. Gr. 1.-.-,us hippeus (horseman),
•

Hipporkis Thouars, in Nouv. Bull. Soc. Philom. Paris 1 (1809), 317 . Satyrieae. VIII. Gr. 1.-.-os hippos (horse), 5px" orchis (orchid). Descriptive possibly of the two prominent, arcuate spurs of the dorsal sepal which give -the flower the appearance of a horse's head with attached reins.

®&

Hoehneella Ruschi, Orquid. Nov. Estrad. Espirito Santo (1945), [3]. Huntleyeae. III. In honor of Prof. Federico Carlos Hoehne (1882-1959), Brazilian botanist, one _of whose main interests has been in the orchids of Brazil and who is author-of the orchid parts of "Flora Brasilica." PLATE

It-4. Hexadesrnia Dunstervillei Garay.

Hofmeistera Reichenbach fil., Poll. Orchid. (1852), 30. Ornithocephaleae. III. "I have dedicated the genus to a most friendly and distinguished man, W. Hofmeister, thinking that the plant both by its

158

GENERIC NAMES OF ORCHIDS AND THEI,R MEANING

I

/1

DICTIONARY ,LISTING OF ORCHID GENERA

159

'/I11,/J ' .IIt {

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,·_11

n 11

,/

I

PLATE L. 0. Wms.H-5. Hexalectri, spicata (Walt.) Barnh. and H. grandiflorn (A. Rich. & Gal.)

FLATE H-6.

H exisea bidentata Lindi.

==----------------~---~----.~-~~~~------·-·---

160

GENERIC NAMES OF ORCHIDS AND THEIR MEANlNG

161

DICTIONARY .LISTING OF ORCHID GENERA

.i

---''""~--

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roe,, •f <;;,;,lu ... ..,

,_ "'"'"'"'

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.

1 ~ PLATE H-7. Hintonella mexican.a An1es.

PLATE H-8. Hof'rneis_te1·ella eumicroscopica Rehb. fil.

'!

conspicuous pollen and all the beautiful coil-bearing little cells and the wonderful web of its petigonium exhibiting so many microscopic virtues is properly and appropriately dedicated to Hofmeister, a microscopist." Hofmeisterella Reichenbach fil., in Walpers, Ann. Bot. 3 (1852), 563. Ornithocephaleae. III: Diminutive of Hofmeistera (a genus of orchids). A new name for Hofmeislera (q.v.).

l

162

GENERIC NAMES OF ORCHIDS AND THEIR MEANING DICTIONARY. LISTING OF ORCHID · GENERA

163

Holcoglossum Schl~chter, in Fedde, Repert. Beih. 4 (1919), 285. Sarcantheae 0 Saccolabiinae. IX. Gr. oAK6s holkos (strap), -yJ..wooa glossa (tongue). From the strap-like spur on the lip. Hologyne Pfitzer, in Engler, Pflanzenr. IV, 50 (1907), 131. Coelogyneae. IX. Gr. 3J..os holos (whole), -yvv~ gyne (column). Origin clear but application obscure. · .. · Holopogon Komarov & Nevski, in Komarov, Fl. USSR 4 (1935), 620, 750. Listereae. VI. Gr. oJ..os holos (entire), ,rw-ywv pogon (beard). Referring probably to the entire lip which, in botanical terminology, is often called pogon. Holothrix Lindley, Gen. and Sp. Orch. Pl. (1835) 283. Platanthereae. VII. Gr. oJ..os holos (whole), Bpi!; (Tpix6s) thrix (trichos) (hair). From the hairy indument of the leaves, scapes, and sepals. Homalopetalum Rolfe, in Hooker, I con. Plant. 25 (1896), t. 2461. Laelieae. IV. Gr. l,p.aMs homalos (even; uniform), 1rhaJ..ov petalon (petal). From the similar perianth segments. Hormidinm Lindley ex Heynhold, Norn. Bot. 2 (1841), 880. Laelieae. II, III, IV. Gr. opp.as hormos (necklace). From the rhizomatose habit with the pseudobulbs distantly placed along the rhizome-like beads on a necklace. · ' Houlletia Brongniart, in Ann. Sci. Nat. ser. 2, 15 (1841), 36. Gongoreae. II, III. In commemoration of M. Houllet who collected the typ.e species in Brazil and who later became head horticulturist of the Jardin des Plantes in Paris. Huebneria Schlechter, in Beih. Bot. Centralbl.142, 2 (1925), 96. Laelieae. III. Honoring Herr Georg HueJlher, who, through his collecting, added much to our knowledge of Amazonian orchids of Il,azil. Humboldtia Ruiz' & Pav6n, Fl. Peruv. Pro~r. ( 794), 109, t:'27. Pleurothallideae. III. Dedicated . to th. e .· eat German. man of' science, H,µmboldt (1769-1859), explorer Friedrich Heinrich Alexander, Baron v and student of the natural history of the Spanish ~olohies of Middle and South America from 1799 to 1804; writer of ma)(y scintific works which profoundly affected every branch of science; dirlfut~r of the official Russian expedition across the Russian Empire to China and back in 1829; author of

"Kosmos," his chief and most characteristic work, which

11

giVes a . . . description of .the numberless varieties of forms which the world contains, but this multitude it gathers under total views and represents the world as one consistent existence.'' Huntleya Bateman ex Lindley, in Bot. Reg. 23 (1837), sub t. 1991. Huntleyeae. II, III. In compliment to the Rev. Mr. J. T. Huntley, an enthusiastic English orchid-fancier who was active, during tbe first half of the nineteenth century. Huttonaea Harvey, Thes. Cap. 1 (1863), t. 101.. Huttonaeeae. VIL Dedicated to the collector of the type specimen, "Mrs.

PLATE H-9. Houlletia Lansbergii Linden & Rchb. f.

Henry Hutton, who, jo1ntly with her husband, Henry Hutton, Esq., J.P., has contributed largely to our knowledge of the botany (and especially of the Orchids) of the Eastern Frontier." Hyacinthorchis Blume, in Mus. Bot. Lugd.-Bat. 1 (1849), 48, t. 16. Cymbidieae. IX .. Gr. 'Tlmv8os Hyacinthus (a genus of lilies), opxis orchis

164

GENERIC NAMES OF ORCHIDS AND THEIR MEANING DICTIONARY LISTING OF ORCHID GENERA

(orchid). In allusion probably to the inflorescence which looks like that of Hyacinthus. Hyalosema Rolfe, in Orch. Rev. 27 (1919), 130. BulbophyUeae. IX. Gr. naAos hyalos (glassy; crystal), o-~µa sema (marking). . Alluding "to the window-like markings on the, dorsal sepal." Hybochilus Schlechter, in Fedde, Repert. 16 (1920), 429. Oncidieae. II, III. Gr. vf36s hybos (hump-backed), xe,Aos cheilos (lip). Alluding to the gibbosity in the middle part of the lip.

165

Imerinaea Schlechter, in Fedde, Repert. Beih. 33 (1925), 152. Polystachyeae. VIII. The name is derived from the locality of the type species in Madagascar: East Imerina. Inobulbon i'\chlechter & Kranzlin, in Engler, Pflanzenr. 10/150, II, 21 (1910), 316. Dendrobieae. X. Gr. ls lvos is inos (fiber), {3oA{36s bolbos (bulb). From the pseudobulbs which are provided with fibrous cataphylls.

Hylophila Lindley, in Wallich, Cat. (1832), 7396. Erythrodeae. IX. Gr. nA~ hyle (forest),
Ione Lindley, Fol. Orch. (1853), Ione 167. Genyorchideae. VI, IX. Gr. 'lov~ Ione (a nymph). Dedicated to the seanymph Ione. · ·

Hymanthoglossum Todaro, Orch. Sic. (1842), 67. Platanthereae. V. Gr. /µas himas (thong), 'fAwo-o-a glossa (tongue). From the strap-shaped lip.

Ionopsis Humboldt, Bonpland & Kunth, Nov. Gen. et Sp. l (1815), 348, t. 83. Ionopsideae. II, III, IV. Gr. fov ion (violet), 5,p., apsis (appearance). Referring to a fancied resemblance of the form and color of the flowers to violets.

Hymenorchis Schlechter, in Fedde, Repert. Beih. 1 (1913), 994. Sarcantheae-Saccolabiinae. IX. Gr. vµ~v hymen (membrane), 5px" orchis (orchid). Descriptive of the delicate texture of the flowers.

Ionorchis G. Beck, FL Nied.-Oest. 2, pt. 1 (1890), 215. Cephalanthereae. V. Gr. fov ion (violet), 5px" orchis (orchid). The flower superficially resembles a violet.

Hypodema Reichenbach, Norn. Bot. 2 (1841),•56. Cypripedieae. V. Gr. v1r65~µa hypodema (sandal). Descriptive of the saccate . lip.

Ipsea Lindley, Gen. and.Sp. Orch. Pl. (1831), 124. Phajeae. VI. Lat. ipse (itself), Gr. l,f,os ipsos (cork-oak), l,f, ips (wood-worm). Origin and meaning obscure, but suggesting perhaps the several characters which, according to Lindley, set this concept apart sharply (i.e., "by itself") or alluding to the corky network formed by the large roots or to their fibrous, worm-like appearance.

Hypodematium A. Richard, Tent. Fl. Abyss. 2 (1850), 286, t. 83. •' Cyrtopodieae. VII. Gr. v,ro5~µb.nov hypodemation, diminutive of Hypodema (a genus of orchids, q.v.). Referring to the shape of the lower half of the lip.

,Jri

, I

',• / '

f

11 •'

lantha Hooker, Ex-0t. Fl. 2 (1825), t. 113. Ionopsideae. III. Gr. tov ion (violet), il.vOos anthos (flower). Suggesfing the "similarity of the flowers, as to their general effect, .with those of some species of Violets . . . " Ibidium Salisbury, in Trans. Hort. Soc. 1 (1812), 291. Spirantheae. I, II, III, IV. Gr. 1{3i5wv ibidion (dimi:imtiye of ibis, the bird). Alluding possibly to a presumed resemblance of the somewhat arcuate flowers to the neck .and head of the ibis. Iebine Rafinesque, Fl. Tellur. 4 (1836), 39. , Phajeae. VI. Jap. ebine (Calanthe, a genus of orchids). Derived apparently from the vernacular Japanese term for a species of Calanthe. ·

Iridorchis Blume, Fl. Jav. (1858), 75, t. 26. Cymbidieae. IX. G,. 'lpLS Jris (a genus of iridaceous plants), 5px" orchis (orchid). In reference to the irisalike leaves. Iridorkis Thouars, in Nouv. Bull. Soc. Philom. Paris 1 (1809), 319. Liparideae. VIII. Gr. 'Ip., his ,(a genus of iridaceous plants), 5px" orchis (orchid). Descriptive of the equitant, iris-like leaves. Isabelia Barbosa-Rodrigues, Gen. et Sp. Orch. Nov. 1 (1877), 75. Laelieae. III. In honor of I~abel, Countess d'Eu, protectoress of science and floriculture in Brazil under the reign of Pedro II. Isch.nocentrum Schlechter, in Fedde, Repert. Beih. 1 (1912), 318. Glomereae. IX. Gr. lo-xvbs ischnos (weak), ,,v,pov kentron (spur). From the elongated, thread-like spur of the lip. Ischnogyne Schlechter, in Fedde, Repert. 12 (1913), 106. · Coelogyneae. VI. Gr. lo-xvbs ischnos (weak), 'I"'~ gyne (woman; pistil). In reference to the very slender column. Isias De Notaris, in Mem. Acc. Sc. Torin, ser. 2, 6 (1844), 413. Platanthereae. V. Gr. "lo-ms Isias (priestess of Isis). Dedicated apparently to Isias, Egyptian priestess of Isis, perhaps because of the relationship of the genus to Serapis (q.v.).

166

GENERIC NAMES OF ORCHIDS· AND THEIR MEANING DICTIONARY .LISTING OF. ORCHID GENERA

167

Isocbilus R. Brown, in Aiton, Hort. Kew., ed. 2, 5 (1813), 209. Laelieae. II, III, IV. Gr. 'luo, isos (equal), x,,,o, cheilos (lip). Calling attention ·probably to the fact that the lip is usually equal to the sepals in size. Isotria Rafinesque, in Med. Repos. N.Y. 5 (1808), 357. Vanilleae. I. Gr. foo, isos (equal), Tp,,,, Tpla treis, tria (three). Alluding to the symmetrically arranged sepals which are usually of similar shape a,id size. Itaculumia Hoehne, in Bol. Mus. Nae. Rio Janeiro 12 (1936), 79. Habenarieae. III. From the type locality of the genus: Serra do Itaculumi, Minas Gerais, Brazil.

Jacquiniella Schlechter, in Fedde, Repert. Beih. 7 (1920), 123. ·. Laelieae. II, III, IV. Commemorating the Austrian botanist, Nikolaus · Joseph von Jacquin (1727-1817), who visited a number of the British West Indian islands and other Caribbean countries from 1754 to 1759, and who published numerous iconographic works on American plants. . . Jansenia Barbosa-Rodrigues, in Vellosia, ed. 2, 1 (1891), 124. Io.nopsideae. III. Honoring Dr. Jose Jansen Ferreira, Jr., President of the Province of Amazonas in Brazil, in recognition of assistance given to the , · Museu Botanico do Amazonas. .

Jenmania Rolfe, in Kew Bull. 1898 (1898), 198. Sobralieae. III. Dedicated to the English botanist and horticulturist, George Samuel Jenman, F.L.S. (1845-1902), native of Plymouth, who worked in Jamaica and British Guiana, serving as Superintendent of the Botanic Gardens in Georgetown and making extensive plant collections in British Guiana. Jensoa RafinesqUe, FL Tellur. 4 (1836), 38. Cymbidieae. VI. In honor of a Japanese botanist of unknown identity. Jimensia Rafinesque, Fl. Teilur. 4 (1836), 38. Bletilleae. VL In honor of a Japanese botanist of unknown identity. PLATE 1-1. Ionopsis utr:icularioides (Sw.) Lindi.

Josepbia Wight, Icon. Plant. Ind. Oreb. 5 (1852), 19, t, 1742. Adrorhizeae. IX. In honor of "Dr. J osepb Dalton Hooker, author of the Antarctic Flora and Rhododendrons of the Sikkim and Khassia portions of

168

GENERIC NAMES OF ORCHIDS AND THEIR MEANING DICTIONARY L!STING OF ORCHID GENERA

jf,

J~)\

m

·--

J:>or:>u.\

LaT«oJ

So.pa.I

Scpa.ls

·--

";\\\•'

,,...o,

.ii'

PLATE 1~2. IsoChilus linearis (Jacq.) R. Br. PLATE I-3. Isotria verticillata "(Muhl. ex Willd.) Raf.

169

-------------------------------------------

170

GENERIC NAMES OF ORCHIDS AND THEIR MEANING DICTIONARY ;LISTING OF ORCHID .GENERA

171

the Himalayan range where he has already collected about 3000 species of plants, and certainly one of the most rising Botanists of the present time"; Sir Joseph Hooker (1817-1911) was joint author with Dr. George Bentham of Genera Plantarum,

0

_V:,..,.., Pon,..,,':"-_

Jumellea Schlechter, Die Orchideen (1914), 609. Sarcantheae-Angraecinae. VIL Dedicated to Professor Henry Jumelle, celebrated French botanist from Marseilles who collected and investigated the flora of Madagascar in the latter part of the past century and the early years of the present.

~

·~

~ ·)~ I

I

Katherinea A. Hawkes, in Lloydia 19 (1956), 94. Dendrobieae. VI, IX. In honor of Mrs. Katherine H. Chatham, mother of the · '.American orchidologist, Mr. Alex Hawkes. · Kefersteinia Reichenbach fil., in Bot. Zeit. 10 (1852), 633. H'!,!ntleyeae. II, III. Compli;menting Herr Keferstein, a contemporary of . Reichenbach and an orchid grower in Kriillwitz, who in a very short period of time assembled an outstanding collection of living orchids.

.

/ (•,}

Kegelia Reichenbach fil., in Bot. Zeit. 10 (1852), 670 . . Gongoreae. IIL Commemorating the work of Herr Kegel, gardener of Halle ' University in Germany who collected plants in Dutch Guiana.

I

[I •'

I

Kegeliella Mansfield, in Fedde, Repert. 36 (1934), 60. Gongoreae. II, III, IV. Diminutive of Kegelia (a genus of orchids). A new name for Kegelia (q.v.). Kingiella Rolfe, in Orch. Rev. 25 (1917), 196. Sarcantheae-Sarcochilinae. VI, IX. "In memory of the work of the late Sir George King with Indian orchids."

Scz.po.ls Lo.t·.._,...,,_\ Do~.:>o.l

PLATE J-1. Jacquiniella globosa (Jacq.) S;hlecht.

_ Kochiophyton Schlechter ex Cogniaux, in Martius, Fl. Bras. 3, pt. 6 (1906), 574, t. 119. Zygopetaleae. IIL Koch (;ersonal name), Gr.
172

GENERIC NAMES OF ORCHIDS AND THEIR MEANING DICTIONARY LISTING OF ORCHID GENERA

Koellensteinia Reichenbach fil., in Bonpl. 2 (1854), 17. · Zygopetaleae. II, III, IV. Dedicated to the Austrian military(?) Captain, · Kellner von Koellenstein. ·

173

Kranzlin (1847-1934), Professor of Botany in the Grauen Kloster; specialist on Masdevallia, Polystachya, Myoporinae, and the orchids of Siberia; author of several monographs published in Pfianzenreich and Fedde Bepertorium Beihefte; writer of the major work "Orchidacearum Genera et Species" (Vol. 1, 1901; Vol. 2, 1903); elected member of the Roten Adlerorden in 1905, and in 1915 decorated with the "Northern Star."

Kranzlinella 0. Kuntze, in Post & Kuntze, Gen. Phan. (1904), 310_. Pleurothallideae. II, III. Dedicated to the German orchidologist, Dr:_Fritz

Kuhlhasseltia J. J. Smith, Icon. Bogor. 4 (1910), 1. Erythrodeae. IX. In honor of two Dutch savants~H. Kuhl and J. C. van Hasselt.

Lacaena Lindley, in Bot. Reg. 29 (1843), Misc. p. 68, no. 101. Gongoreae. II. Gr. Aa.Ka,va Lakaina--a Laconian woman (Helen of Troy?). "One of the names of Helen and may be applied to this plant on account of its beauty; but it may also be derived from lakis, a cleft, in allusion to the .divisions of the lip."

, __

Laelia Lindley, Gen. and Sp. Orch. Pl. (1831), 115. · Laelieae. II, III, IV. Dedicated probably to Laelia, one of the Vestal Virgins, or perhaps from the ,name borne by females of the Roman patrician . family of Laelius.

' foe.._

-f

'

C.clu.n,n

I.aeliopsis Lindley ex Lindley & Paxton, Flow. Gard. 3 (1853), 155. Lrielieae. IV. Laelia (a genus of orchids), Gr. 5,j,i, opsis (appearance). Re. £erring to a relationship or similarity to Laelia (q.v.).

'

Lanium Lindley, in Hooker, J. Bot. 3 (1841), 85. Laelieae. III. Lat. Zana (wool). Probably from the "downy flowers." Lankesterella Ames, in Sched. Orch. 4 (1923), 3. Spirantheae. II. In honor of Mr. Charles H. Lankester, who, for many years has beei:, an assiduous plaut~collector and horticulturist in Costa Rica. Larnandra Rafinesque, Fl. Tellur. 2 (1836), 40. Laelieae. I. Gr. Xapva~ larnax (box; cell), dvopa andra (anther). The anthers are· operculate. Lathrisia Swartz, Adnot. Bot ... (1829), 48. Platanthereae. VII. Possibly a personal name.

PLATE K-1. Koellenstein·ia graniinea (Lindl.) Rchb. f.

Latourea Blume, Rumphia 4 (1848), 41, t. 195, fig. 1. Dendrobieae. IX. Dedicated by Blume to Mr. Latour "my very skillful artist who was for a lm;igJime my most devoted companion in my investi-

1 174

GENERIC NAMES OF ORCHIDS AND THEI.R MEANING

175

DICTIONARY LISTING OF ORCHID GENERA

gations of the flora of Java and who later, when I had already returned from India, rendered useful assistance in depicting many details which were lacking (but needful) in that work." Leaoa Schlechter & Campos Porto ex Schlechter, in Arch. Jard . . Bot. Rio Janeiro 3 (1922), 292. Laelieae. III. Complimenting Dr. Pacheco Leao, who, at the time of the

description of this genus, was Director of the Botanical Garden in Rio de Janeiro. Lecanorchis. Blume, in Mus. Bot. Lugd.-Bat. 2 (1856), 188. Pogonieae. IX. Gr. A
the urn-shaped sack at the base of the lip. Lectandra J. J. Smith, in Bull. Dept. Agric. Indes Neerl. 13 (1907), 59. Podochileae. IX. Gr. "'"'"' lektos (gathered), avf,p, avlipb, aner, andros

- (stamen). Origin and meaning unknown unless alluding to the concentration of the short inflorescence on the stem below the leaves. Ledgeria F. Mueller, Fragm. i (1859), 238. Vanilleae. XI. Dedicated to the Australian naturalist, Mr. C. Ledger. Lemuranthe Schlechter, in Fedde, Repert. Beik. 33 (1924), 84. Habenarieae. VIII. Lemuria (palaeographic land-mass), Gr. &v8~ anthe

(floweri. Referring to the "Lemur Region," a palaeographic land-mass .(including Madagascar and India and persisting into the late Cretaceous) with phytogeographic significance. Lemurella Schlechter, in Fedde, Repert. Beik. 33 (1925), 367. Sarcantheae-Angraecinae. VIII. Lemuria (palaeographic land-mass), Lat . .ella (diminutive). So named because of its geographic distribution. Lemurorchis Kranzlin, in Engler, Bot. Jahrb. 17 (1893), 58. Sarcantheae-Aeranginae. VIII. Lemuria (palaeographic land-mass), Gr. , 6px« orchis (orchid). Because of the geographic distribution of this

orchid. Leochilus Knowles & Westcott, Fl. Cab. 2 (1838), 143. Oncidieae. II. Gr. leio.s (smooth), x,,,.o, cheilos (lip). From the smooth

lip.

.

"''°'

.

Leopardanthus Blume, in Mus. Bot. Lugd.-Bat. 1 (1849), 47, t. 15. Cymbidieae. IX. Gr. Aelnraplio, leopardus (leopard), &v8o, anthos (flower).

From the conspicuously maculate perianth segments. Lepanthes Swartz, in Nov. Act. Soc. Sc. Upsal. 6 (1799), 85. · Pleurothallideae. II, III, IV:. Gr. Ae1rl, lepis (scale), &,80, anthos (flower).

Referring to the minute scale-like flowers of many of the species. PLATE

L-1.

Lepanthopsis Ames, in Bot. Mus. Leaf/,. Harvard Univ. 1 (1933), 3. Pleurothallideae. II, III, IV. Lepanthes (a genus of orchids), Gr. 6,Jn, apsis (resemblance). In allusion to the similarity of this genus to Lepanthes (q.v.).

176

GENERIC· NAMES OF ORCHIDS AND THEIR MEANING DICTIONARY LrnTING m' ORCHID GENERA

LLOCl-iILU5 ../Imes

rf

Corre((·

177

LLPANTHL,S ,Jfekoi

Jfc.cfclf.uties

L. tenuit'o6a ocliut'tes fL9,l't'on

/I\

Ii\

(,i \ ·-~,-1 , '--( I ft11 \ \!

J

I

I

\. !i 11\.1l I

6

,19,

5

L. orzya6ensi.s &!iultes faf!J,!!on J

(I I

.11 PLATE

I

,//,i

L-2.

,,.

p I

/

Lepervenchea Cordemoy, in Rev. Gen. Bot. 11 (1899)~15. Sarcantheae-Angraecinae. VIII. Possibly a personal epithet. Lepidogyne Blume, FL Jav. 4 (1858), 78. Erythrodeae. IX. Gr. i.,,ris lepis (scale),

scale-like rostellum of the column.

1,

'Y"'~ gyne

(pistil). From the subulate,

Leptocentrum Schlechter, Die Orchideen (1914), 600. .. Sarcantheae-Aeranginae. VIL Gr. ).,,rros leptos (delicate), Kivrpov kentron

(spur). Descriptive of the dElicate, thread-like s11ur of the lip. Leptoceras Lindley, Gen. and Sp. Orch. PL (1840), 415. Caladenieae. X. Gr. Ae,rros leptos (slender), K1pas keras (horn). In refer-

L ch.stid,.a !}aray f.frCSd,u{tes

,r:::.PLATE

L-3.

178

GENERIC NAMES OF ORCHIDS AND THEIR MEA_NING DICTIONARY LISTING OF ORCHID GENERA

LE..PANTHOPSIS

CA

t.;!,·

I

.fl (I ' i

.

.

PLATE

L-4a.

ence to the two long, erect, clul:-shaped and apically s;ollen petals,· which look like horns. Leptorkis Thouars, N ouv. Bull. Sci. Philom. Paris 1 (1809), 319.

Tuparideae. VIII. Gr. ,nrrb, leptos (slender), 5px" orchis (orchid). Referring to the slender habit.

.PLATE L-4b. Lepanthopsis melanantha (Rchb. f.) A~e-s.

179

1

180

GENERIC NAMES OF ORCHIDS AND THEIR MEANING DIC1'IONARY LISTING OF ORCHID GENERA

Leptotes Lindley, in Bot. Reg. 19 (1833), t. 1625. Laelieae. III. Gr. J..,n6Tns leptotes (delicateness). From the delicateness of the leaves of most of the species. Lequeetia Bubani, Fl. Pyren. 4 (1901), 57. , Cephalanthereae. V. In memory of Nicolas Lequeet, "a drug-collector who furnished many plants to Clusius." Leucohyle Klotzsch, in Ind. Sem. Hort. Bero!. (1854), App. 1. Oncidieae. III, IV. Gr. J..m6s leukos (white), ti>-n hy!e (wood, or stuff). Probably from the white woolly indument on the stiff floral axis ..

181

works he wrote on them will probably be regarded as the most favorable specimens of what he has done and what he could do; and l':'t us own that there are few botanists who would not be glad to have written them, as there are few whos~ botanical career has been more useful than that of John Lindley." Lindsayella Ames & Schweinfurth, in Bot. Mus. Leaf!. Harvard Univ. 5 (1937), 33. Sobralieae. II. Dedicated to Mr. Walter R. Lindsay of Panama who discovered the type material of this genus.

Leucolaena Ridley, in J. Linn. Soc. 28 (1891), 340. Gastrodieae. IX. Gr. >-,v<6s leukos (white), Lat. laena (cloak). Referring probably to the curious habit of these white, leafless, saprophytic plants. Leucorchis E. Meyer, Preuss. Pflanzeng. 50 (1839). Platanthereae. V. Gr. J..,vK6s leukos (white), opx" orchis (orchid). Descriptive of the white flowers. Leucorchis Blume, in Mus. Bot. Lugd.-Bat. I (1849), 31. Gastrodieae. IX. Gr. J..evK6s leukos (white), opx" orchis (orchid). From the lack of green coloration in the type, which· is a saprophyte. Lichinora Wight, Icon. Plant. Ind. Orch. 5 (1852), 18, t. 1738. Dendrobieae. VI. Gr. ""X~P leichen (lichen). "Stemless plants; pseudobulbs thin, flat, adhering like lichens to the·branch on which they grow (whence the name) . . . . " Limatodes Blume, Bijdr. (1825), 375, t. 62. , Phajeae. IX. Gr.""""'" leimon (meadow). Re!dring probably to the habitat. Limnorchis Rydberg, in Mem. N. Y. Bot. Gard. 1 (1900), 104. i> Platanthereae. I. Gr. >-Lµ.vn limna (pool; standing Water), opx" orchis (orchid). From the bog habitat of some species. ./ ,, Limodorum Linnaeus, Sp. Pl. (1753), 950, prqt{;,rte!.~. ,, ! , Cephalanthereae. V. Gr. """"'" leimon (meadow), owpo/dorf}n (gift). Referring possibly to a common habitat of this genus in mea,dows, qr (according to Keller & S6o) to a literary error by the herbalist Dodonaeus, who applied to this genus the name used by Theophrastus ( a!f'oowpov, haemodoron) for a .red-flowering parasitic plant of unknown identity. · Lindblomia Fries, in Bot. Notiser (1843), 134. Habenarieae. V. For Herr A. E. Lindblom,. editor of Botaniska Notiser. lindleyella Schlechter, Die Orchideen (1914), 414. Lycasteae. III, IV. In commemoration of the great English b0tanist, Professor John Lindley, F.L.S., F.R.S. (1799-1865), native of Norfolk; editor of Botanical Register and Gardeners Chronicle; one of the foremost orchidologists of all time, and author of the first substantial classification of the ORCHIDACEAE. "The orchids were his particular favorites, and the various PLATE L-5. John Lindley.

182

GENERIC NAMES OF ORCHIDS AND THEIR MEMUNG DICTIONARY .LISTING OF ORCHID GENERA

Liparis L. C. Richard, in Mem. Mus. Paris 4 (1818), 43, 52. lipa:rideae. I, II! III, IV, V, VI, IX, X, XI. Gr. A,1rapb, liparos (fat; greasy; shmmg). Referrmg to the smooth, shining surface of the leaves of many of the species. . .

LIPARIS cAmeJ

Janla,Yfica

0 ,J';.Jwe,01

183

Lissochilus R. Brown, in Lindley, Bot. Reg. 7 (1821), t. 573. Cyrtopodieae. VII, VIII. Gr. A,o-a-6, lissos (smooth), xe,1'0, cheilos (lip). In reference to the uncrested lip of many of the species. listera R. Brown, in Aiton, Hort. Kew., ed. 2, 5 (1813), 201. listereae: I, V, VI, IX. Commemorating Dr. Martin Lister (1638-1711), an English physician and naturalist. Listrostachys Reichenbach fil., in Bot. Zeit. 10 (1852), 930. Sarcantheae-Aeranginae. VII. Gr. 1'Lo-rpov listron (spade), o-raxu, stachys (ear of wheat). Alluding probably to the compactly many-flowered and distichous inflorescence. Lobogyne Schlechter, in Mem. Herb. Boissier 21 (1900), 65. Podochileae. IX. Gr. Ao/36, lobos (lobe), 'Y"'~ gyne (woman; pistil). The column is toothed and horned beneath the stigma. Lockhartia Hooker, in Bot. Mag. 54 (1827), t. 2715. Oncidieae. II, III, IV. Commemorating David Lockhart, Esq., first Superintendent of the Royal Botanic Gardens in Trinidad from 1818 to his death in 1846, who took a very active part in the importation of many South American horticultural novelties to England by way of Trinidad. Loefgrenianthus Hoehne, in Arch. Bot. Estad. Siio Paulo l, fasc. 4 (1927), 592. Laelieae. III. Loefrgren (personal name), Gr. &veo, anthos (flower). In honor of Dr. Albert Loefgren, who collected material of the type-species on November 22, 1896, and who described it in 1918 as a species of Leptotes. Lonchitis Bubani, Fl. Pyren. 4 (1901), 50. Platanthereae. V. "With more assurance, in company with Sibthorp and Sprengel, in the Lonchitis of Dioscorides, we see the first species of our genus and consider that from it this name is to be here restored, although the other Lonchitis is, without doubt, a species of Filix." Lophiaris Rafinesque, Fl. Tellur. 4 (1836), 40. Oncidieae. III. Gr. M<J,o, lophos (crest). Descriptive of the fleshy crest on the lip. Lophoglottis Rafinesque, Fl. Tellur. 4 (1836), 49. Laelieae. III. Gr. M<J,o, lophos (crest), "fAwrrL, glottis (lip). From the conspicuous transverse crest at the base of the lip. loroglossum L. C. Richard, in Mem. Mus. Paris 4 (1818), 47. Platanthereae. V. Gr. 1'[;,po, loros (strap), "fAwo-o-a glossa (tongue). Descriptive of the lip. Lothiauia Kranzlin, in Gard. Chron. 75 (1924), 173, t. 70. Pleurothallideae. III. In honor of the Marquis of Lothian of N ewbattle Abbey. "The princely liberality of his lordship provided the means for Miss Florence Woolword's well known Monograph of Masdevallia.. "

PLATE

L-6.

ludisia A. Richard, in Diet. Cl. d'Hist. Nat. 7 (1825), 437. Erythrodeae. VI. Origin and meaning unknown, but possibly from a personal name.

184

GENERIC NAMES OF ORCHIDS AND THEIR MEANING

DICTIONARY LISTING OF ORCHID GENERA

\

Jt, PLATE L-7. Lis~et·a cordata (L.) R. Br.; L·istera convallariodes (Sw.) Nutt.

1.7J7

PLATE L-8. Lockha1·tict acuta (Ldl.) Rchb. f.

185

186

GENERIC NAMES OF ORCHIDS AND THEIR MEANING DICTIONARY .LISTING OF ORCHID GENERA

Lueddemannia Linden & Reichenbach fil., in Bonpl. 2 (1854), 281. Congoreae. III. Dedicated to Herr Liiddemann, "a dear friend" of Linden and Reichenbach. Luisia Gaudichaud, in Freycinet, Voy. Bot. (1826), 426, t. 37. Sarcantheae-Vandinae. VI, IX. Dedicated to I)on Luis de Torres, a Spanish botanist of the nineteenth century. Lycaste Lindley, in Bot. Reg. 29 (1843), Misc. p. 14. Lycasteae. II, III, IV. Gr. AvKiurr~ Lycaste (a Greek nymph). Dedicated to the beautiful daughter of Priam, last king of Troy. Lycomormium Reichenbach fil., in Bot. Zeit. 10 (1852), 833. Gongoreae. III. Gr. AlKos lykos (wolf), µopµw mormo (hobgoblin). Referring to the large flower with its complicated, fleshy lip, giving the plant a rather unusual aspect. Lyperanthus R. Brown, Prodr. (1810), 325. Caladenieae. X. Gr. A11rapbs liparos (shining, bright), a,eo, anthos (flower). Descriptive, acc[!rding to Brown, of the dark red flowers. Lyroglossa Schlechter, in Beih. Bot. Centralbl. 37 (1920), 448. Spirantheae. III. Gr. Mpa lyra (lyre), -yAwuua glossa (tongue). In al,lusion to the lyre-shaped lip of the type species. 1 Lysias Salisbury, in Trans. Hort. Soc. 1 (1812), 288. . Platanthereae.I, V. Gr. Alma, Lysias (Attic orator). Dedicated probably to Lysias (459?-380? B.C.), an Attic orator, one of whose famous speeches was in defense of a man charged with the destruction of a sacred olive tree. Lysiella Rydberg, in Mem. N.Y. Bot. Gard. 1 <J-900), 104. Platamhereae. 1, VI. Diminutive of Lysial}ll._a genus of orchids). Alluding to , a relationship to Lysias (q.v.). •·''

Lysimnia Raflnesque, Fl. Tellur. 4 (1836), 43~ , Laelieae. III. Na med, according to Rafine e, for a nymph, but no nymph of this epithet is known. I ' /~ ; I,

/

/

I

ii

j'

LYCA5T£ Cam_,17tleft;;

C. Macdonaldia Gunn ex Lindley,fin Bot. Reg. 25 (1839), App. p. 50. Thelymitreae. XI. "After Mrs. Smith, nee Macdonald, a lady who has examined the Orchidaceous plants of that island [Van Diemen's Land] with great care, and from whom a most beautiful series of dried specimens has reached me through the good offices of Mr. Gunn."

r!fcAureiry'f.

PI,A'l'E L-fl.

187

. 188

GENERIC NAMES

Ol,'

ORCHIDS AND 'rHEJR MEANING DICTIONARY. LISTING OF ORCHID GENERA

189

Macodes Lindley, Gen. and Sp. Orch. Pl. (1840), 496. Erythrodeae. IX, X. Gr. µ.a«p6, mak(r)os (long). Alluding to the elongated mid-lobe of the lip. Macradenia, R. Brown,'in Bot. Reg. 8 (1822), t. 612. Macradenieae. I, II, III, IV. Gr. µa
L-10.

Maelenia Dumortier, in Mem. Acad. Brux. 9 (1834), 13, t. 10. Laelieae. III. Dedicated to the Belgian horticulturists, Van der Maelen Brothers, who first flowered the plant and who with it "won the prize in the horticultural exposition the Floral Society of Brussels."

01

1 190

GENERIC=NAMES OF ORCHIDS AND THEIR MEANING DICTIONARY. LISTING OF ORCHID GENERA

191

PLATE M-2. Mac,·opodanthus philivpinensis L. 0. Wms.

Malachadenia Lindley, in Bot. Reg. 25 (1839), Misc. p. 67. Bulbophylleae. III. Gr. µaAa,6, malakos (soft; weak), ao~v aden (gland). In reference to· the soft character of the glands associated with the pollen maSSES.

Malaxis Swartz, Prodr. 8 (1788), 119. Liparideae. I, II, III, IV, V, VI, VII, VIII, IX, X. Gr. µa.Antis malaxis (softening). Referring to the soft and tender texture of the leaves. Malleola J. J. Smith & Schlechter, in Fedde, Repert. Beih. 1 (1913), 979. Sarcantheae-Saccolabiinae. IX. Lat. malleolus (little hammer). From the hammer-shaped coluron. Manniella Reichenbach fil., Otia Bot. Hamb. 2 (1881), 109. Spirantheae. VIL In honor of Herr Gustaf Mann, friend of Reichenbach, explorer of the mountains of Cameroon and student of the flora of Assam. Mariarisqueta Guinea, in An. Jard. Bot. Madrid 6 (1946), 420. Erythrodeae. VII. Honoring Senora Maria Arisqueta de Guinea, wife of the botanist who described the genus. Marsupiaria Hoehne, in Arqu. Bot. Est. Sao Paulo, n.s., forma maior 2, fasc. . 4 (1947), 69. Maxillarieae. III. Gr. µapubr,011, µapuo&- marsippion, marsou- (little bag; pouch). In reference to the bag-shaped sheaths of the base of the leaves, a character of the genus. PLATE M-1. Macradenia-liitescens R. B.

Masdevallia Ruiz & Pavon, Fl. Peruv. Prodr. (1794), 122, t. 27. Pleurothallideae. II, III. In honor of Dr. Jose Masdevall, an eighteenth century Spanish physician and botanist.

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DIGTIONARY LISTING OF ORCHID GBNBl
192

:1

1

!

(

, I

I PLATE M-4.

PLATE M-3. Malaxis unifolia Michx.

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194

GENERIC NAMES OF ORCHIDS AND THEIR .MEANING DICTIONARY LISTING OF ORCHID GENERA

195

Maturna Rafinesque, Fl. Tellur. 2 (1836), 99. Oncidieae. IIL Named for a Latin goddess, Ma(n)turna. Maxillaria Ruiz.& Pav6i;t, Fl. Peruv. Prodr. (1794), 116, t. 25. Maxillarieae. II, III, IV. Lat. maxilla (jaw-bone). In allusion to the yawning flowers and the fancied resemblance (in some of the species) of the column and lip, as seen from the side, to the jaws of an insect. Mecosa Blume, Bijdr. (1825), 403. Satyrieae. IX. Gr. µijKo, mekos (length). Descriptive probably of the long, linear lip. Mediocalcar J. J. Smith, in Bull. Inst. Buit. 7 (1900), 3. Glomereae. IX. Lat. medius (middle), calcar (spur). From the excavatesaccate condition of the middle part of the lip. Megaclinium Lindley, in Bot. Reg. 12 (1826), t. 989. Bulbophylleae. VII, VIII. Gr. µi-ya, megas (wide; large), KAlvw, klinion (little bed). Descriptive of the wide, flat, spiralled inflorescence in which the flowers are set or embedded. Megalorchis H. Perrier, in Bull. Soc. Bot. France 83 (1936), 579. Habenarieae. VIII. Gr. µ,-ya,, µe-y a.An megas, megale (great), "PX." orchis (orchid). Alluding to the very large and beautiful flower. M egastylis Schlechter, Die Orchideen (1914), 93. . Cryptostylideae. X. Gr. µ.i-ya, megas (large), arut.l, stylis (style). In allusion to the large column. Meiracyllium Reichenbach fil., in Walpers, Ann. Bot. 6 (1864), 859. Laelieae. II, III. Gr. µnpaKuAAwv meirakyllion (stripling). In reference undoubtedly to the reduced, creeping habit. Meliclis Rafinesque, Fl. Tellur. 2 (1836), 99. Gongoreae. III. Gr. µit., meli (honey), Kt.el, kleis (key; bolt). From the saccate lip which sometimes holds nectar. Menadena Rafinesque, Fl. Tellur. 2 (1836), 98. Maxillarieae. III. Gr. µ.~vn mone (moon), 6.o~, aden (gland). Descriptive of the crescent shape of the glands. Menadenium Rafinesque, Fl. Tellur. 4 (1836), 45. Zygopetaleae. III. Gr. µ~vn mene (moon; crescent), 6.o~, aden (gland; callus). In allusion to the crescent-shaped callus at the base of the lip. __ _______________ PLATE M-5. Masdevallia- collina L. 0. Wms.

-Menephora Rafinesque, Fl. Tellur. 4 (1836), 46. Cypripediloideae. IX. Gr. µ.~vn mene (moon),
.::..__:__:_:c._: _ __

DIC'rIONARY. LISTING OF' ORCHID GENERA

197.

PLA'l'E IVI-7. Meiracylli'w,n trinasutum Rchb. f. (1); Ho11ialopetalu1n Pumilio (Rchb. f.)

Schltr. (2),

PLATE M-6. Jl1axillaria Ca111aridii Rchb. f.

196

198

GENERIC NAME3 OF ORCHJD3 AND THEIR MEANING DICTIONARY LISTING OF ORCHID GENERA

Mesa~enus Schlechter, in Beih. Bot. Centralbl. 37, Abt. 2 (1920), 367. Spir~ntheae, II, III,. IV. Gr. µluo, :"esos (middle), /J.o~v. aden (gland). In allus10n to the conspicuous gland lymg between the two pollinia or to the gland of the pollinia which projects like a tooth from the b~ck of the rostellum. Mesicera Rafinesque, Neogen. (1825), 4. .' · · Hab~narieae. I, II, III, IV. Gr. µiuo, mesas (middle),
· Microcoelia Lindley, Gen. and Sp. Orch. Pl. (1830)', 60. '.· ti Sarcantheae-Aeran_ginae. VII, VIII. Gr. µi.p6, mik# (srrfall),
199

Microtatorchis Schlechter, K. Schumann & Lauterbach, Nachtr. Fl. deutsch. Schutz. Siidsee (1905), 224. Sarcantheae-Saccolabiinae. IX, X. Gr. µi.p6raro, mikrotatos (smallest), 5pxis orchis (orchid). Sugg~stive of the minute habit. Microtheca Schlechter, in Fedde, Repert. Beih. 33 (1924), 76. Habenarieae. VIII. Gr. µi.p6s mikros (small), 8~<~ theke (chest). In allusion to the very small anther cavities. Microtis R. Brown, Prodr. (1810), 320. Prasophylleae. X, XI. Gr. µi.p6s mikros (small), oi,, wr6, ous, otos (ear). From the small membranaceous_auricles on the column. Miltonia Lindley, in Bot. Reg. 23 (1837), sub t. 1976. Oncidieae. II, III. In compliment to the Earl Fitzwilliam, Viscount Milton (1786-1857) of Wentworth House, Yorkshire, a patron of horticulture and of orchid-culture, "one of the oldest and most zealous friends of Natural Science in this cotintry." Mischobulbon Schlechter, in Fedde, Repert. Beih. 1 (1911), 98. Collabieae. VI, IX. Gr. µluxos mischos (stalk), (3oX(36s bolbos (bulb). Descriptive of the pseudobulbs which are conspicuously stipitate. Mitostigma Blume, Mus. Bot. Lugd.-Bat. 2 (1856), 189. Platanthereae. IX. Gr. µlros mitos (thread), url"(µa stigma (stigma). From the two filiform stigmatic processes. Mobilabium Rupp, in N. Queensland Nat. 13 (1946), 2. Sarcantheae-Saccolabiinae. XI. Lat. mobilis (mobile), labium (lip). Descriptive of the lip which is mobile on a short claw. Moerenhoutia B]ume, Orch. Arch. Ind. (1858), 99, tt. 28, 42. Erythrodeae. IX. Moerenhout (personal name). Commemorating the collector ofthe type species from Tahiti. Monachanthns Lindley, in Bot. Reg. 18 (1832), sub t. 1538. Cataseteae. III. Gr. µo,ax6, monachos (monk), a,Oo, anthos (flower). Descriptive probably of the "labellum that looks something like a hood drawn over a little face represented_ by the column." Monadenia Lindley, Gen. and Sp. Orch. Pl. (1838), 356. Diseae. VII, XI. Gr. µ6,os monos (one; only), l,o~v aden (gland). In allusion to the single pollen-gland. Mon~chilus Wallich ex Lindley, Gen. and Sp. Orch. PL (1840), 486. Erythrodeae. VII, IX. Gr. µ6,o, monos (single), xe,Aos cheilos (lip). From the large and conspicuous lip which dominates the other floral segments. Monomeria Lindley, Gen. and Sp. Orch. Pl. (1B3()), 61. Genyorchideae. VI, IX. Gr. µ6,os mo)WS (only), µlpos meros (part). In reference to the apparent incompleteness of the perianth: "This is the only known genus . . . in which the petals are abortive. Nothing is found in their room, but there is a wide tooth-Jetted interval between the upper·and lower sepals."

200

GENERIC NAMES OF ORCHIDS AND THEIR MEANING

DICTIONARY LISTING OF ORCHID GENERA

201

Monophyllorchis Schlechter, in Fedde, Repert. Beih. 7 (1920), 39. Vanilleae. III. Gr. µbvo, monos (single), <J,vl\Aov phyllon (leaf), 5px" orchis (orchid) .. Descriptive of the unifoliate habit. Monorchis Agosti, Tract.' (1770), 234. Habenarieae. V. Gr. µbvo, monos (single), 5PX" orchis (orchid). Referring to tlie single, in contrast to the paired, tubers. Monosepalum Schlechter, in Fedde, Repert. Beih. 1 (1913), 895. Bulbophylleae. IX. Gr. µbvos monos (single). New Lat. sepalum (sepal). In allusion to the unusual connate condition of the sepals which are joined nearly to the apex. Monotris Lindley, in Bot. Reg. 20 (1834), sub t. 1701. Platanthereae .. V. Gr. µbvo,monos (only), rpl, tris (three times). Separated by Lindley from the then known species of Holothrix because its lip has only 3 (not 5 or 7) lobes. Montolivaea Reichenbach fil., Otia Bot. Hamb. 2 (1881), 107. Satyrieae. VII. Referring to the type locality Montolivo, a mountain m Abyssinia. Monustes Rafinesque, Fl. Tellur. 2 (1836), 87. Spirantheae. XI. Gr. Movvuq Monuste (a nymph). Named for a Greek mentioned by Apollodorus. Moorea Rolfe, in Gard. Chron., ser. 3, 8 (1890), 7. Zygopetaleae. III. In honor of F. W. Moore, Esq., one time curator at Glasnevin, who, at a sale, purchased the plant which, upon flowering, became the type of this genus. Mormodes Lindley, Introd. Nat. Syst., ed. 2 (1836), 446. Cataseteae. II, III. Gr. Mopµw Marmo (phantom; bugbear; frightful object), ,lo~, eides (resembling). Referring to the strange appearance of the flowers, · which represent "the most astonishing deviations from ordinary structure and the most startling variations from what appears to be the rule in other parts of the organic world." Mormolyca Fenzl, in Denkschr. Acad. Wien. Math. Nat. 1 (1850), 253. Maxillarieae. II, III. Gr. MopµoM<~ mormolyca (hobgoblin). Alluding to the rather bizarre appearance and coloration of the flower as seen from the side.

PLATE M-8.

Myanthus Lindley, in Bot. Reg. 18 (1832), sub t. 1538. . Cataseteae. II, III. Gr. µua mya (fly), iiv6os anthos (flower). The greenish sepals and petals are covered wit7.re dish or purplish dots resembling flies at rest on the flower. · Mycaranthus Blume, Bijdr. (1825), 52, t. 57. Dendrobieae. IX. Gr. µurnpl, mycaris (bat), iiv6o, anthos (flower). Wben viewed from the side, the lip resembles a small bat.

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202

GENERIC NAMES OF ORCHIDS AND THEIR MEAl'1IKG DICTIONARY· LISTING OF ORCHID GENERA

PLATE

PLATE M-9.

M-10.

203

204

GENERIC NAMES OF ORCHIDS AND THEIR MEA)'l!NG DICTIONARY LISTING OF ORCHID GENERA

Myoda Lindley, Gen. and Sp. Orch. Pl. (1840), 489. Erythrodeae. VI. Gr. µva mya (fly), ,f!o, ridos (resembling). The flowers resemble a small insect in flight. Myodium Salisbury, in Trans. Hort. Soc. 1 (1812), 289. Platanthereae. V. Gr. µva mya (fly), ,too, eidqs (resembling). Significance of this name obscure. Myoxanthus Poeppig & Endlicher, Nov. Gen. ac Sp. 1 (1835), 50, t. 88. Pleurothallideae. III. Gr. ""' mys (muscle), f,avOo, xanthos (yellow; reddish _ brown). Meaning puzzling but referring possibly to the reddish brown flowers and the conspicuously fleshy sepals.

205

Myrosmodes Reichenbach fil., Xen. Orch. 1 (1854), 19, t. 8. Cranichideae. III. Gr. µvpov myron (perfume), 6,µw!~, osmodes (fragrant). Alluding to a strong fragrance. Mystacidium Lindley, i'n Hooker, Comp. Bot. Mag. 2 (1836), 205. Sarcantheae-Aeranginae. VI, VII, VIII. Gr. µv,raf, mystax (moustache). Probably from the papillose-barbate lateral segments of the rostellum of the type species.

Myrmechis Blume, Orch. Arch. Ind. (1858), 76, t. 21. Erythrodeae. VI, IX. Gr. µvpµ~f, myrmex (ant). Referring to a fanciful resemblance of the small flowers to ants.

Nabaluia Ames, Orch. 6 (1920), 70. Coelogyneae. IX. An artificial name derivedlr Mt. Kinabalu, British North Borneo.

I

/, ii

PLATE M-11. Myrmechis philippinensis Ames.

Myrmecophila Rolfo, in Orch. Rev. 25 (1917), 50. Laelieae. II, IIi, ,-rv. Gr. µvpµ~f, myrmex (ant), <J,0'°' philos (loving). Indicating the habitation of the pseudobulbs by ants. , Myrobroma Salisbury, Parad. Lond. (1807), t. 82. Vanitleae. IL Gr. µvpov myron (balsamic ointment), (3pwµa broma (food). Descriptive of the aromatic fragrance of the vanilla fruits.

Nageliella L. 0. Williams, in Bot. Mus. Leafi. H rvard Univ. 8 (1940), 144. Laelieae. IL In honor of Herr Otto Nagel who "probably collected more species and specimens of Mexican orchids and travelled more widely over Mexico than any other collector . . . . " -Nanodes Lindley, in Bot. Reg. 18 (1832), t. 1541. Laelieae. III. Gr. vavw!~, nanodes (dwarfish; pygmy). Referring to the very small size of both the plant and its flowers in the type species. Narica Rafinesque, Fl. Tellur. 2 (1836), 87. Spirantheae. III. Named, according to Rafinesque, for a nymph, but no nymph of this epithet is known. Nasonia Lindley, in Bentham, Pl. Hartweg. (1844), 150. Pachyphylleae. III. Lat. nasus (nose). Referring to the form of the anthers which resemble a nose on the column. Nauenia Klotzsch, in Otto & Dietrich, Allg. Gartenz. 21 (1853), 193. Gongoreae. II. Dedicated to Herr N auen who, in 1850, received a specimen from the collector van Warscewicz and brought it to flower.

DICTIONARY LISTING OF ORCHID GENERA

207

Neippergia C. Morrill, in Ann. Soc. Gand. 5 (1849), 375, t. 282. Gongoreae. II. Neipperg (personal name). Dedicated to Graf Alfred Neipperg of the Principality of Wiirttemberg, patron of the sciences, especially the natural sciences., · Nemaconia Knowles & Westcott, Fl. Cab. 2 (1838), 127. Laelieae. II. Gr. vijµa nema (thread), £Kwv akon (dart). Descriptive probably of the linear or narrowly lanceolate leaves. Nematoceras Hooker fil., Fl. N. ZeL 1 (1853), 249, t. 57. Tropidieae. XI. Gr. vijµa nema (thread), Kepa, keras (horn). Referring probably to the sepals and petals, both of which are filiform and look like horns. Nemuranthes Rafinesque, FL Tellnr. 2 (1836), 61. Habenarieae. III. Gr. vijµa nema (thread}, oupa aura (tail), &vOo, anthos (flower). Descriptive of the very long, filiform spur. Neobartlettia Schlechter, in Fedde, Repert. 16 (1920), 440. Sobralieae. III. Gr. veo, neos (new, i.e., a second genus named for . . . ), Bartlett (personal name). In honor of A. W. Bartlett, Esq., Superintendent of the Botanic Gardens in Georgetown, British Guiana. Neobathiea Schlechter, in Fedde, Repert. Beih. 33 (1925), 369. Sarcantheae-Angraecinae. VIII. Gr. veo, neos (new; i.e., a second genus named for . . . ). (Vide Bathiea.) Neobentbamia Rolfe, in Gard. Chron., ser. 3, 10 (1891), 272, 273, t. 33. Polystachyeae. VIL Gr. veo, neos (new, i.e., a second genus named for . . . ), Bentham (personal name). Honoring M~eorge Bentham, F.L.S., F.R.S. (1800-1884), English botanist, who wor ed on the flora of the Pyrenees, Hong Kong and Australia, "the well-kno n author of numerous classical botanical works, whose revision of the Orchr aceae for the Genera Plantarum has well been termed 'a masterpiece of research and scientific taxonomy . . . '." Neobolusia Schlechter, in Engler, Bot. Jahrb. 20, Beibl. No. 50 (1895), 5. Platanthereae. VIL Gr. veo, neos (new, i.e., a second genus named for ... ), Bolus (personal name). Vide Bolusiella. Neoclemensia Carr, in Gard. Bull. Str. Settlem. 8 (1935), 180. Gastrodieae. IX. Gr. veo, neos (new, i.e., a second genus named for . . . ), Clemens (personal name). Dedicated to Chaplain Joseph Clemens who collected orchids on Mt. Kinabalu in 1931-1933. · Neocogniauxia Schlechter, in Urban, Symb. Antill. 7 (1913), 495. Laelieae. IV. Gr. veo, neos (new, i.e., a second genus named for . . . ), Cogniaux (personal name). Vide Cogniauxiorchis. Neodryas Reichenbach fil., Xen. Orch. 1 (1854), 38. Oncidieae. III. Gr. veo, neos (new), l1pua, Dryas (a wood nymph). Alluding possibly to a woodland habitat. PLATE N-1.

206

208

GENERIC NAMES OF ORCHIDS AND THEIR MEANING

Neofinetia Hu, in Rhodora 27 (1925), 107. Sarcantheae-Saccolabiinae. VI. Gr. via, neos (new, i.e., a second gen named for . . . ), J:inet (personal name). Vide Finetia. Neogardneria Schlechter, in Notizbl. 7 (1921), 471. Zygopetaleae. III. Gr. via, neos _(new, i.e., a.s:cond genus named for. .. ), Gardner (personal name). Dedicated to George Gardner, Esq., an English plant collector whose period of greatest field activity was between 1836 . and 1841. Neogyna Reichenbach fiL, in Bot. Zeit- 10 (1852), 931. Coelogyneae. VI. Gr. via, neos (new), "{uv~ gyne (from Coelogyne, a genus of orchids). Separating a concept from Coelogyne (q.v.).

DICTIONARY LISTING OF ORCHID GENERA

209

NE-OKOE...HLE.-RJA d. cfcluveiy-

Neokoehleria Scblechter, in Fedde, Repert. 10 (1912), 390. Ionopsideae. III. Gr. via, neos (new, i.e., a second genus named for . . . ), Koehler (personal name). Recognizing the enthusiasm of Herr E. Koehler who collected Peruvian plants in the first decade of the present century,. Neolauchea Kranzlin, in Bull. Herb. Boissier 5 (1897), 110. Laelieae. III. Gr. via, neos (new, i.e., a second genus named for . . . ), Lauche (personal name). Dedicated to Herr Lauche, director of the Garden of Prince John of Liechtenstein, who sent.·many precious botanical novelties to Kranzlin. ' . ' Neolehmannia Kranzlin, in Engler, Bot. Jahrb. 26 (1899), 478. Laelieae. III. Gr. via, neos (new, i.e., a second genus named for .· .· .), Lehmann (personal name). Dedicated to _the German botanist and explorer Herr F. C. Lehmann (1850-1903), German consul in Popayan, Colombia, from 1878 until his death, collector in Guatemala, Costa Rica, but especially in Colombia and Ecuador, giving particul1,r attention to the orchids, many unusual species of which he introducelf to horticulture through British importers, and student of M asdevallia in which genus he made numerous · outstanding discoveries in the Andes. Neolindleya Kranzlin, Gen. et Sp. Orch. 1 r111lh1), 651. ' Platanthereae. VI. Gr. via, neos (new, i~-~cond ¥eni,s named for . . . ), Lindley (personal name). Dedicated to Sir John Ljlidlej (vide Lindleyella). Neomoorea Rolfe, in Orch. Rev. 12 (1904), 30. ,r Zygopetaleae. II, III. Gr. via, neos (new, i.e., a second genus named for . . . ), Moore (personal name). Vide Moorea. Neotinea Reichenbach fil., Poll. Orch. Schol. (1852), 18, 29. Platanthereae. V, VI, VII. Gr. via, neos (new, i.e., a second genus n,imed for . . . ), Tineo (personal name). Dedicated to Prof. Tineo,'.professor of botany at Palermo in the past century. Neottia Linnaeus, Syst., ed. 1 (1735), 271; Bentham & Hooker fil., Gen. PL 3 (1883), 595. ' Listereae. V, VI. Gr. v'°""" neotteia (bird's nest). Referring to the popular fancy that the short rootstalk concealed by large clusters of long, fleshy roots resembles a bird's nest.

PLATE N-2.

Neottianthe Schlechter, in Fedde, Repert. 16 (191~), 290. • Platanthereae. V, VI. Neottia (a genus of orchids), Gr. av9~_ anthe (flower). For a resemblance to Neottia (q.v.). Alluding to the superficial resemblance of the flower to that of species of N eottia.

210

GENERIC NAMES OF ORCHIDS AND THEIR MEANING

Neottidium Schlechtendal, Fl. Bero!. 1 (1823), 454. Listereae. V. Diminutive of Neottia (a genus of orchids). Alluding to a re· semblance to N eottia (q. v.). ··· Neourbania Fawcett & Rendle, in J. Bot. 47 (1909), 125. Laelieae. IV. Gr. vios neos (new, i.e., a se~ond genus named for .. . ),.: Urban (personal name). Dedicated to Professor Ignaz Urban (1848::1931),: German botanist, native of Westfalia, who collaborated in van Martius' "Flora Brasiliensis," served as Professor of Botany in the University of ; Berlin and Sub-Director of the Botanic Garden at Berlin-Dahlem, wrote· extensively on botanical biography, and specialized on the flora of the. West Indies, editing the monumental work "Symbolae Antilianae sen · · Fundamenta Florae Indiae Occidentalis."

211

DICTIONARY I,!STING OF ORCHID GENERA

· ·1 Ila L C Richard in Mem. Mus. Paris 4 (1818), 48. N,g~l:tanth~e~e. V. Lat. Diminutive of nigritia (blackness). Referring to the rather blackish-red color of the flowers. Nipponorehl·s Masamurn!, in Mem · Fae · Sci. Agric. Taihoku Imp. Univ. 11, . ·d~R Bot. No. 4 (1934), 592. Sarcantheae-Saccolabiinae. VI. Nippon (Japan), 5px" orchis (orch1 . e . ring to the native country of the type species.

Norna Wahlenberg, Fl. Snee., ed. 2 (1826), 561. d . I V VI Old Norse norn (Norn one of the three Fates). De Cal ypsoeae. , , · ' · T t · th J icated to Norn, one of the godlike giante3se3 who, m eu omc my o ogy, compounded the fates of man and the gods.

Nephelaphyllum Blume, Bijdr. (1825), 372, t. 22. Collabieae. IX. Gr. veq,iJ...~ nephela (cloud), q,oAJ...ov phyllon (leaf). Referring to a hazy opaqueness on the upper surface of the leaves.

Notio hrys Lindley, in J. Linn. Soc. 1 (1857), 189. . E;ythrodeae. VIII. Gr. vbnos notios (south~rn), Ophrys (a genus of orchids). From its distribution in the soi.1thern hemisphere.

Nephrangis Summerhayes, in Kew Bull. 1948 (1948), 301. Sarcantheae-Aeranginae. VII. Gr. veq,pbs nephros (kidney), &·nos angos (vessel). From the reniformly dilated lip.

Not Jia Lindley in Bot. Reg. 11 (1825), sub t. 930. . !Jotylieae. II'. III. Gr. vwTov noton (back), TuXov tylon (hump). Alludmg to a singular callosity on the stigma.

NephrantheraHasskarl, inHoeven&DeVriese, ,Tijdschr.Nat. Gesch. 9 (1842), 145. Sarcantheae-Vandinae. IX. Gr. ve<J,pbs nephros (kidney), lwO~pbs antheros (blooming). Descriptive of the kidney-shaped anther.

N ctosma Rafinesque, Fl. Tellur. 2 (1836), 9. . . h y Laelieae. IV. Gr. vu~ nyx (night), 6~µ4 osme (fragrance). Ind1catmg a c aracteristic nocturnal fragrance.

Nerissa Rafinesque, Fl. Tellur. 2 (1836), 89. Cranichideae. IV. According to Rafinesque, named for a nymph, but no nymph of this epithet is known. Nervilia Commerson ex Gaudichaud, in Freycineyt, Vay. Bot. (1826), 421, t. 35. Pogonieae. VI, VII, VIII, IX, X, XI. L'!J/ nervus (vein). Descriptive of the nervose leaves. Neuwiedia Blume, in Tijdschr. Nat. Gesch. lf18 ), 140. ,, Apostasioideae. IX. Dedicated to Prince M ~ilian van Neuwied. Nidema Britton & Millspaugh, Fl. Baham. ( 92oJ/94. , . ,( Laelieae. IV. "Anagram of Dinema, a related genu9'(q ..l.). Nidus Rivinus, Icon. Pl. Fl. Irreg. Hexapet. (1760), t. 7. Listereae. V. Lat. nidus (nest). Taken from the specific epithet of Ophrys Nidus avis which Linnaeus named "bird's nest ophrys" because of the appearance of the interwoven roots. Niemeyera F. Mueller, Fragm. 6 (1867), 96. Apostasioideae. VI, IX, X. Dedicated to the famous physician and pathologist of Ttibingen University, Dr. Felix Niemeyer. Nienokuea A. Chevalier, in Compt. Rend. Acad. Sci. Paris 220 (1945), 634. Polystachyeae. VII. Named for the African mountain Nienokue, a granite massif on the lower Ivory Coast, near Cavally, north of Fort Binger, where the plant is abundant.

Oakes-Amesia Schweinfurth & P. H. Allen, in Bot. Mus. Leaft. Harvard Univ. 13 (1948), 133. . Ornithocephaleae. II. "The name Oakes-Amesia was chosen to commemorate the foremost Jiving orchidologist who has recently comptted a ~:y'r'}1 of fifty years as teacher, mentor and benefactor of Harvard mvers1 · Oakes Ames, F.L.S. (1874-1950). (V1de Amesia.)

~?·

.

.

Oberonia Lindley, Gen. and Sp. Oreb. Pl. (1830), Li ·a VI IX Oberon (prince of faeries). As Oberon, that little Kmg f r~;ir:r~~ds ~rin~e of the northern hohgoblins, rides about on the branches ~f the trees, hiding his many-formed countenance amongst the leaves, so Jess changeable in form, lurk m the forests of India and l .ttl herbs 'not our1e ·. h"" ride triumphantly m the1r leafy c anot. cam oa A. Richard & Galeotti, in Ann. Sci. Nat., ser. 3, 3 (1845), 31. . O c!anichideae. IL Honoring Lie. Melchor Ocampo (1810-1861), a Mexican botanist and patriotic figure.

212

GENERIC NAMES OF ORCHIDS AND THEIR MEA_NING

DICTIONARY _LISTING OF ORCHID GENERA

cr_y_;:,tantl:a

.P.J{. ./1, teen

,t. I tf

E

I

l

~

1'

.'{

.

I

j

I

PLATE 0-1. PLATE

N-3.

213

DICTIONARY LISTING OF ORCHID GENERA

215

Octadesmia Bentham, in J. Linn. Soc. 18 (1881), 311. Laelieae. IV. Gr. oKr,l, okta (eightfold), ,,~µ.o, desmos (bond). Referring to the 8 pollen-masses. Octarrhena Thwaites, Enum. Pl. Zeyl. (1864), 305. Thelasieae. IX. Gr. oKrOJ okta (eightfold), &pp~v arrhen (male; stamen). In allusion to the 8 free pollinia.

OCTOMERIA f/aviflora

dentifem,

-lancipetala

PLATE 0-2.

214

PI,a\TE 0-3.

216

GENERIC NAMES OF ORCHIDS AND THEIR MEANING DICTIONARY LISTING OF ORCHID GENERA

Octomeria R. Brown, in Aiton, Hort, Kew., ed. 2, 5 (1813), 211. Pleurothal,lideae. II, III, IV. Gr. oKrw octo (eight), µ!po, meros (part). Alluding to the 8 pollinia. Odonectis Rafinesque, Fl. Tellur. 4 (1836), 48. Vanilleae. I. Gr. Mou, odous (tooth), Lat. necto (to bind). Referring possibly to the whorled condition of the sharply pointed leaves which have the appearance of being bound together at the base. Incorrectly compounded. Odontochilus Blume, Orch. Arch. Ind. (1858), 79, tt. 29, 36. Erythrodeae. VI, IX. Gr. 6/iou,, 6/iov,o- odous, odonto- (tooth), xe,Aos cheilos (lip). Alluding to the tooth-like or fimbriate margins of the constricted middle portion of the lip. Odontoglossum Humboldt, Bonpland & Kunth, Nov. Gen. et Sp. 1 (1815), 350, t. 85. Oncidieae. II, III. Gr. 6oou,, 6/iovro- odous, odonto- (tooth), 7Aw,nrn glossa (tongue). Referring to the tooth-like projections ("tooth") of the. callus on the lip ("tongue") of most of the species. Odontorrhynchus Correa, in Darwiniana 10 (1953), 158. Spirantheae. III. Gr. Mou,, ooovro- odous, odonto- (tooth), i,u-yxo, rhynchos (snout). Descriptive of the tridentate rostellum. Odontostyles Breda, in Kuhl & Hasselt, Orch. (1827), t. 4. Bulbophylleae. IX: Gr. boo&,, ooovro- odous, odonto- (tooth), urvAls stylis (pillar). Descriptive of the tooth-like appendages of the· column. · Oeceoclades Lindley, in Bot. Reg. 18 (1832), sui, t. 1522. . Eulophidieae. III, VII, VIII. Gr. olK,fo, /fi,keios (private), KAo.oo, klados (branch). Referring possibly to Lindley's separation of certain species from Angraecum to form a distinct tribe or "private branch." I Oenia Lindley, in Bot. Reg. 10 (1824), sub t. 8:li · \.. Sarcantheae-Angraecinae. VII, VIII. Gr. 9¢{,:o,,i;ionos (bir~of prey). Referring possibly to ·the spreading perianth parts with ,the I orizontal, hoodlike, 3-lobed lip which makes the flower resemble yhird n flight. Oeoniella Schlechter, in Fedde, Repert. Beih. 33 (1925), 362. Sarcantheae-Angraecinae. VIII. Diminutive of Oeonia (a genus of orchids). Alluding to a resemblance to Oeonia (q.v.). Oerstedella Reichenbach fil., in Bot. Zeit. 10 (1852), 932. Laelieae. III. Honoring_ Herr Anders Sand¢e 0rsted, collector of the type material. · Olgasis Rafinesque, Fl. Tellur. 2 (1836), 51. Oncidieae. IV. Gr. According to Rafinesque, named for a Greek nymph, but no nymph of this epithet is known.

PLATE 0-4,

217

218

GENERIC NAMES OF ORCHIDS AND THEIR MEA]'l!NG DICTIONARY LISTING OF ORCHID GENERA

OLJYEY\!~k,

Oliveriana Reichenbach fil., in Linnaea 41 (1876), 111. ~ Oncidieae. III. In honor of the English botanist, Dr. Daniel Oliv~.L.S.,

-,

£elrunannii

219

F.R.S. (1830-1916), Keeper of the Herbarium at Kew, Professor of Botany at University College,, London, and editor of I cones Plantarum from 1890 to 1895.

fja-ra}j____:)

Ommatodium Lindley, Gen. and Sp. Orch. Pl. (1838), 365. Disperideae. VIL Gr. Diminutive of oµµa omma (eye). Referring to the

"eye-like spots on the labellum." 3J

Omoea Blume, Bijdr. (1825), 359. Sarcantheae-Saccolabiinae. IX. Gr. oµows (h)omoeos (like). Referring possibly to the close similarity to Ceratochilus. Oncidium Swartz, Kgl. Vetensk. Akad. Nya Handl. Stockh. 21 (1800), 239. Oncidieae. I, II, III, IV. Gr. Diminutive of o-y
the bracts which "have an anterior hollow tumour, like a goitre, arising from the top of the ovary, and answering to the cuniculus so common in Epidendrum." Onkeripus Rafinesque, Fl. Tellur. 4 (1836), 42. Jjycasteae. IV. Gr. iJ-y,~pbs onkeros (swollen), ,roiis pous (foot). In reference

to the perianth parts which are basally somewhat saccate. Onychium Blume, Bijdr. (1825), 323, t. 10. Dendrobieae. IX. Gr. bvuxwv onychion (nail; small claw). In reference perhaps

to the bracteoles which are rather stiff. Ophrys Linnaeus, Sp. Pl. (1753), 945. Platanthereae. V, VI, VII. Gr. b<J,pus ophrys (eyebrow). From the name of

an unknown two-leaved plant, the identity of which is not known (but which might have been Listera ovata), called Ophrys by Pliny, who reported its use to blacken eyebrows or hair. Also perhaps in allusion to the arched calyx of some species, resembling the eyebrow. Orchidium Swartz, Summa Veg. Scand. (1814), 32. Calypsoeae. I, V. Gr. bpxlowv orchidion, diminutive of Orchis, a genus of FIG. !

orchids (little testicle). Descriptive of the small; fleshy corm. Orchidofunckia Richard & Galeotti, in Ann. Sci. Nat., ser. 3, 3 (1845), 24. Ornithocephaleae. II. Gr. opx,s orchis (orchid), Funck (personal name).

PLATE 0-5.

Named probably in honor of the Luxemburg artist and naturalist, Nicolas Funck (1816-1896) who made extensive plant collections in Middle and South America from 1835 to 1847, in part in collaboration with Linden or with Schlim, in part alone; he later served as director of the Zoological Gardens in Brussels and in Cologne.

----===

DICTIONARY LISTING OF ORCHID GENERA

221

Orchidotypus Kranzlin, in Engler, Bot. Jahrb. 37 (1906), 383. Pachyphylleae. II, III. Gr. i5px" orchis (orchid), ru1ro, typos (model). Alluding probably to a new type of orchid. -~ Orchiodes 0. Kuntze, Rev. Gen. Pl. 2 (1891), 674. Erythrodeae. I, V. Orchis (a genus of orchids), Gr. ,loo, eidos (resemblmgJ. So named for its resemblance to orchids with a habit like species of Orchis. Orchipedum Breda, in Kuhl & Hasselt, Orch. (1827), t. 10. Erythrodeae. IX. Gr. bpxl1r,oov orchipedon (testicle). Significance obscure, since the plant has no corm. Orchis Linnaeus, Sp. Pl. (1753), 939. Platanthereae. I, V, VI, VII. Gr. i5px" orchis (testicle). In reference to the tuberoids which many species of the genus bear at the base of the stem. Dioscorides used this name for a plant with tuberoids in the shape of testicles. Oreorchis Lindley, in J. Linn. Soc. 3 (1859), 26. Cyrtopodieae. VI, IX. Gr. i5po, oros (mountain), i5PX" orchis (orchid). Alluding probably to their native habitat in mountains of Asia. Orestias Ridley, in J. Linn. Soc. 24 (1888), 197. Liparideae. VII. Gr. 'Op,o-rnl., Orestias (mountain nymph). Referring, through the use of the name of a mountain nymph, possibly to the modest terrestrial habit of the plant at high altitudes. Orleanesia Barbosa-Rodrigues, Gen. et Sp. Orch. Nov. 1 (1877), 63. Laelieae. III. In honor of Prince Gaston d'Orleans, Comte d'Eu, distinguished amateur and patron of floriculture in Brazil. Ormostema Rafinesque, Fl. Tellur. 4 (1836), 38. Dendrobieae. VI. Gr. i5pµo, hormos (necklace), o-r~µa stema (stamen). Referring, according to Rafinesque, to the rhizome which is articulated with bead-like swellings at the joints. Composition of name incorrect. Ornitharium Lindley & Paxton, in Paxton, Flow. Gard. 1 (1850--1851), 188, fig. 117. Sarcantheae-Saccolabiinae. VI. Gr. i5pvi, ornis (bird). "The lip was white · with a few violet stains and a deep purple round knob at the end, giving the flower the appearance of concealing within it a tiny bird with a white body and purple head." Ornithidinm Salisbury, in Trans. Hort. Soc. 1 (1812), 293. Maxillarieae. II, III, IV. Gr. bpv.Olowv ornithidion (little bird). In allusion to the resemblance of the small red flowers to bird heads in the type species. Ornithocephalus Hooker, Exot. Fl. 2 (1825), t. 127. Ornithocephaleae. II, III, IV. Gr. i5pm, -,eo, ornis, -ithos (bird), wpa'il~ kephale (head). Descriptive of the curious shape of the apex of the column and its appendages and their fanciful resemblance to a bird's_head in the type species. ~LATE

0-6. Oncidiu1n a1nvliatu11i Lindl, 220

222

GENERIC NAMES OF ORCHIDS AND THEIR MEl\cNING

223

DICTIONARY LISTING OF ORCHID GENERA

4

ti!

5

'//

ORLEANESIA peruviana

2

C. Schweinf

' PLATE 0-8.

PLATE 0:_7.

Orchis svectabilis L.

224

GENERIC NAMES OF ORCHIDS AND THEIR, MEANING

225

DICTIONARY LISTING OF ORCHID GENERA

ORNITHOCE.-PHALU.S .,Patf~ti foC-us

e,_ c'Jc!zw-ezrf

Ornithochilus Wallich ex'Lindley, in Bentham & Hooker, Gen. Pl. 3 (1883), 581. Sarcantheae-Sarcochilinae. VI, IX, XL Gr. 5pm, -,Bo, ornis, -ithos (bird), x,,i.o, cheilos (lip). Descriptive of the bilobed lip with the lobes divaricate and vertical, resembliug a bird in flight. Ornithophora· Barbosa-Rodrigues, Gen. et Sp. Oreb. Nov. 2 (1881), 225. Oncidieae. III. Gr. 5pv«, -,Bo, ornis, -ithos (bird),
Kipa,

keras (horn). From

Orthochilus Hochstetter ex A. Richard, Tent. FL Abyss. 2 (185)1', 984, t. 82. Cyrtopodieae. VII. GI'. bpBb, orthos (straight), x,,l.o, cheilot(li~ Referring possibly to the long claw which is adnate to the column, giving the whole lip a straight or rigid appearance. Orthopenthea Rolfe, in Dyer, Fl. Cap. 5, pt. 3 (1913), 179. Diseae. VII. Gr. bpBb, orthos (straight), Penthea (a genus of orchids). Alluding to a similarity with Penthea (q.v.). Ortmannia Opiz, in Flora 17 (1834), 592. Cyrtopodieae. V. Honoring a German apothecary, Herr Anton Ortmann of Karlsbad, whose studies in the Bohemian flora brought to light several new species of plants. · Orxera Rafinesque, Fl. Telhir. 4 (1836), 37. Sarcantheae-Sarcochilinae. VI. Origin and meaning unknown. Osmoglossum Schlechter, in Fedde, Repert. Beih. 17 (1922), 79. · Oncidieae. II. Gr. buµ~ osme (odor), '"{Awuua glossa (tongue; lip). Of a marked fragrance. Osyricera Blume, Bijdr. (1825), 307, t. 58. Bulbophylleae. IX. Gr. ··ou,p« Osiris (Egyptian god of the underworld), < rel="nofollow">pa, keras (horn). Origin and meaning obscure unless alluding to the column which, with its 2 tricuspidate or horn-like wings and the appendages of the anther, might very fancifully be likened to the usual rigid, mummified figure of Osiris with crown, whip and crook.

PLATE 0-9.

·Otandra Salisbury, in Trans. Hort. Soc. 1 (1812), 298. Gyrtopodieae. VI. Gr. oVs-, WTbs- ous, otos (ear), Cl.v'YJp, Cl.vOpbs- aner, andros (man). Descriptive probably of 2 ear-like appendages on the anther. Otochilus Lindley, Gen. and Sp. Orch. Pl. (1830), 35. Coelogyneae. VI. Gr. ou,, i:.rb, ous, olos (ear), x,,l.o, cheilos (lip). Referring to the auriculate lateral lobes of the lip which enclasp the base of the column.

226

GENERIC. NAMES OF ORCHIDS AND THEIR MEANING .

227

DICTIONARY .LISTING OF ORCHID=GENERA

Otopetalum Lehmann & Kranzlin, in Engler, Bot. Jahrb. 26 (1899), 457. Pleurothallideae. III. Gr. oli,, ,!,r6, ous, otos (ear), 1C
\

Oxyanthera Brongniart, in Duperrey, Vay. Coq. Bot. (1829), 197, t. 37.. Thelasieae. IX. Gr. W,s oxys (sharp), /J.vB~pa. anthera (anther). From the . pointed anther in the type species. Oxysepala Wight, Icon. Plant. Ind. Orch. 5, pt. 1 (1852), 17, t. 1736. Bulbophylleae. IX. Gr. 6~6, oxys (sharp; pointed). Lat. sepalum (sepal). Descriptive of the very long acuminate sepals. . , Oxystophyllum Blume, Bijdr. (1825), 335, t. 38. Dendrobieae. IX. Gr. 6~6, oxys (cutting), ,f,u,,o, phyllon (leaf). The leaf is . stiffly coriaceous and strict.

Pachites Lindley, in Gen. and Sp. Orch. Pl. (1835), 301. Satyrieae. VIL Gr. "axur~, pachytes (thicknefs). Descriptive of the "rostellum so thick and large as completely to cut f11 the anther from the stigmatic processes or arms." · Pachychilus Blume, Fl. Jav. 4 (1858), 23. Phajeae. _IX. Gr .. "axu, pachys (thick), x,,,oj/6~eilos (lip). Of the fles~1y lip. , / Pachyne Salisbury, m Trans. Hort. Soc. 1 (lll1z), il'99. Phajeae. IX. Gr. "axu, pachys (thick). Alluding pooobly;l;o the very large inflorescence and the wide, coarsely nerved leaves. 1' Pachyphyllum Humboldt, Bonpland & Kunth, Nov. Gen. et Sp. 1 (1815), 338, · t. 77. Pachyphylleae. II, III. Gr. "axu, pachys (thick), ,f,uAAov phyllon (leaf). Referring to the fleshy texture of the leaves. Pachyp]ectron Schlechter, in Engler, Bot. Jahrb. 39 (1906), 51. Pachyplectreae. X. Gr . .-ax6, pachys (thick), ""~KTpov plektron (squr). From the fleshy spur formed at the junction of the lip with the foot. Pachyrhizanthe Nakai, in Bot. Mag. Tokyo 45 (1931), 109. Cymbidieae. VI. Gr. 1Cax6, pachys (thick), pU;a rhiza (root), &ve~ anthe (flower)~Descriptive of the thickened rhizomes.

.,, ~t\ :

.

C,o.=~- -~

.

\.Jp

PLATE 0-10. Otostyl·is b1·achy.'ltal'ix (Rchb. f.) Schlecht.

228

GENERIC NAMES OF ORCHIDS AND THEIR MEA)j"ING DICTIONARY LISTING OF ORCHID GENERA

229

Pachystele Schlechter,' in Fedde, Repert. Beih. 19 (1923), 28. Laelieae. II. Gr. ,raxvs pachys (thick), o-dX~ stele (column). In reference to the short, fleshy column. Pachystoma Blume, Bijdr. (1825), 376. Phajeae. VI, IX, X. Gr. ,raxus pachys (thick), ,,-,6µ.a stoma (mouth). Descriptive of the connivent perianth segments and the callosities of the lip which run the whole length of the lip, making its apex rather thick. Paliris Dumortier, Florula Belg. (1827), 134. Liparideae. V. An anagram of Liparis. Palmorchis Barbosa-Rodrigues, Gen. et Sp. Orch. Nov. 1 (1877), 169. Sobralieae. II, III. Gr. ,rb.Xµ.~ palme (palm), 6pxis orchis. (orchid). Suggesting by its leaves certain Geonoma-like palms. Palumbina Reichenbach fil., in Walpers, Ann. Bot. 6 (1861), 699. Oncidieae. II. Lat. palumbina (belonging to wood-pigeons). Significance unknown, unless anuaing to a fanciful resemblance of the flower to a bird with outspread wings. Panisea Lindley, in Reichenbach, Norn. Bot. 2 (1841), 52, no. 1936. Coelogyneae. VI. Gr. ,riis pas (all), foo, isos (equal). Alluding probably-to the similarity of the floral segments. Panstrepis Rafinesque, Fl. Tellur. 4 (1836), 41. Gongoreae. III. Gr. ,riis pas (all), u,p,nbs streptos (twisted). From the perianth segments, all of which are twisted. Pantlingia Frain, in J. As. Soc. Bengal. 65 (1896), 107. Aciantheae. VI. In honor of the British botanist, Mr. Robert Pantling (1857-1910), Deputy Superintendent of the Government Cinchona Plantation in Sikkim, Bengal, student of Indian orchids and illustrator of King and Pantling's "Orchids of the Sikkim-Himalaya." Paphinia Lindley, in Bot. Reg. 29 (1843), Misc. 14. Gongoreae. III. Gr. ITa.pla Paphia (epithet of Cyprian Aphrodite). For Paphia, the name of Aphrodite of Cyprus, for whom the city of Paphos is also named. Paphiopedilum Pfitzer, Morphol. Stud. iib. Orchideenbl. (1886), 11. Cypripediloideae. VI, IX. Gr. ITa
PLATE

·P-1.

Papilioranthe Schlechter, in Orchis 9 (1915), 78. Sarcantheae-Vandinae. IX. Lat. papilio (butterfly), Gr. ~ve~ anthe (flower). From fanciful resemblance of the yellow and purple flower to a butterfly. Papilopsis E. Morrill ex Cogniaux & Marchal, Pl. Feuill. Omam. 2 (1874), sub t. 55. Oncidieae. II, III. Lat. papilio (butterfly), Gr. 6,/,is apsis (l;ke). Alluding to the butterfly-like appearance of the floral parts.

-230

GENERIC N AMES OF ORCHIDS AND T ,. I I I I I . HEI!) __ MEANING ,-__

DICTIONARY LISTING

oF

I

'I

'

'

'·'

1"'\.l'"'. -.-_. I:

; '

..-

t.

'

J•

(. _, ._. ._JF

j}j94

PLATE P-Z

PLATE

p_ 3

~

• RA ORCHID GENE

231

;232

GENERIC NAMES OF ORCHIDS AND THEIR MEAl'HNG

233

DICTIONARY LI.STING OF ORCHID GENERA

PAPHIOPEDILUJVI l".i 1,,1

Wdl,e{miniae

'i

\j

rµ)ms

L.

\1

\'

~

~i

(,!,\1';:,

~

\\w

Colu,......, /,, L,p

PLATE P-5.

PLATE P-4.

Paphinia aristata (Lindi.) Lindl.

I .

.

.

t/,

234

GENERIC NAMES OF ORCHIDS AND THEIR MEAJ':IING DICTIONARY LISTING OF ORCHID GENERA

PAPPERl'TZIA

/

235

Papperitzia Reichenbach fil., in Bot. Zeit. 10 (1852), 670. I onopsideae. II. Dedicated to William Papperitz, a friend of Reichenbach.

.7

Ze;tfoldii Jr!eiclltf .

Papuaea Schlechter, in F,edde, Repert. 16 (1919), 105. Erythrodeae. IX. From the island of Papua, where the type species was collected. Paracalanthe Kudo, in J. Soc. Trap. Agric., Taiwan 2 (1930), 235, in adnot. Phajeae. VI, IX. Gr. ""P" para (beside; near), Calanthe (a genus oforchids). Referring to a resemblance to Calanthe (q.v.). Paradisanthus Reichenbach fil., in Bot. Zeit. 10 (1852), 930. Zygopetaleae. III. Gr. ""P"'"''°' paradeisos (garden; paradise), &vOo, anthos (flower). From the beauty of the flower. Paragnathis Sprengel, Syst. Veg. 3 (1826), 695. Habenarieae. VI. Gr. 1Capa-yvaOl, paragnathis (cheek-piece of the helmet or tiara). From the very large and conspicuous petals which resemble the cheek-pieces of the Greek helmet. Parapactis Zimmermann, in Mitt. Bad. Lanclesv. Naikd. Freiburg, n.f., 1 (1922), 232; Fedde, Repert. 18 (1922), 283. Cephalanthereae. V. Gr. ""P" para (beside; near), Epipactis (a genus of orchids). Alluding to a relationship to Epipactis (q.v.). Parhabenaria Gagnepain, in Bull. Mus. Nat. Hist. Natur., ser. 2, 4 (1932); 597. Habenarieae. IX. Gr. ""P" par(a) (beside; near), Habenaria (a genus of orchids). From the close relationship of this genus to Habenaria (q.v.) Parlatorea Barbosa-Rodrigues, Gen. et Sp. Orch. Nov. 1 (1877), 141. Ionopsideae. III. Dedicated to Sr. Phelipo Parlatore, Director of the Institute of Natural Sciences of Florence, who did much to popularise the Brazilian studies of Dr. J. Barbosa-Rodrigues. Pattonia Wight, Icon. Plant. Ind. Orch. 5 (1852), 20, t. 1750. Cymbidieae. VI. "Dedicated to Mrs. Col. Walker (nee Patton), a compliment well merited in return for many contributions from her accomplished pencil-illustratiims of the Flora of Ceylon." Col. and Mrs. Walker collected in Ceylon from 1820 to 1840.

PLATE

P-6:

Paxtonia Lindley, in Bot. Reg. 24 (1838), Misc. p. 61, t. 60. Phajeae. IX. In compliment to Sir Joseph Paxton, "whose claim to be permanently associated with Orchidaceae will be readily admitted by all who know anything of the admirable cultivation of such plants at Chatsworth" (where he served as director for many years of the gardens of His Grace, the Duke of Devonshire), publisher of the Magazine of Botany and author of ."Paxton's Botanical Dictionary." Pecteilis Rafinesque, Fl. Tellur. 1 (1836), 37. Habenarieae. VI, IX. Gr. 7'E
-----------

~---------------~--~----~··

236

GENERIC NAMES OF ORCHIDS AND THEIR MEANING DICTIONARY LISTING OF ORCHID GENERA

Pectinaria Cordemoy, in Rev. G~n. Bot. 11 (1899), 412. Sarcanthea~-Aerangina,e. VIII. From the specific epithet of the type species, M ystacidium pectinatum. Pedilea Lindley, Orch. Seel. (1826), 27. . • .· Liparideae. II. Gr. 1rlo,Xov pedilon (shoe; slivper). Descriptive of the .. shape of the lip. Pedilochilns Schlechter, K. Schumann & Lauterbach, Nachtr. Fl. deutsch. Schutz Siidsee (1905), 218. . . . · Bulbophyllea,e. IX. Gr. ,re8,Xov pedilon (sandal), xi,Xos cheilos (hp). In refer· ence to the slipper-shaped lip.

237

Peristeria Hool<'er, in Bot. Mag. 58 (1831), t. 3116. Gongoreae. II, III. Gr. ,rep,uT
Pedilonum Blume, Bijdr. (1825), 320, t. 36. Dendrobieae. IX. Gr. ,re8,Xov pedilon (shoe; slipper). Descriptive of the lateral sepals which are connate, forming an elongated sac.

Perrieriella Schlechter, in Fedde, Repert. Beih. 33 (1925), 365. Sarcantheae-Angraecinae. VIII. Dedicated to M. Perrier de Ia Bathie, a French collector, who worked extensively in Madagascar in the early 1920's and who discovered the type material of this genus.

. . Pelatantheria Ridley, in J. Linn. Soc. 32 (1896), 371. Sarcantheae-Saccolabiinae. VI, IX. Gr. nX a.T~, pelates (approachmg; neighbor), b.vB~pa anthera (anther). Meaning obscure unless in refe~ence to _"th,~ stelidia which enfold the anther cap and approach each other m so domg.

Pernlaria Lindley, in Bot. Reg. 20 (1834), sub t. 1701. Platanthereae. I, VI. Lat. perula (little pocket). Referring possibly to the cavities in the stigmatic surface. ·

· , Pelexia L. C. Richard, in Mem. Mus. Paris 4 (1818), 59. _Spirantheae. II, III, IV. Gr ...~X~I;; pelex (helmet). Referring probably to the dorsal sepal which is united with the petals to form a narrow galest:

Pescatoria Reichenbach fil., in Bot. Zeit. 10 (1852), 667. Huntleyeae. II, III. Dedicated to M. Pescatore, a French orchidophile, who at one time had a large collection of living orchids at Chateau Celle St. Cloud near Paris.

Pelma Finet, in Notul. Syst. 1 (1909), 112. .. •. · Bulbophylleae. X. Gr. ,reXµ~ pelma (sole of sandal): In allus10n to the form of the column-foot: flat, long and apically bent. · Pennilabium J. J. S~ith, in Bull. Jard. Bot. Buit., ser. 2, 14 (1914), 43. Sarcantheae-Saccolabiina,e. IX. Lat. pe71:nj/ (feathered), labium (lip) .. Descriptive of the erose or fimbriate margms of the lateral !~bes of the hp. Penthea Lindley, Gen. and Sp. Orch. Pl. (1Ji838) 360. . Diseae. VII. Gr. ,,,ve"~ 1Jentheia (grief) ...I eference possibly to the drab, dark color of the flowers m the type spe : . ,;

Pesomeria Lindley, in Bot. Reg. 24 (1838), Misc. p. 5. Phajeae. VIII. Gr. ,r[,rrnv piptein (to fall off), µepos meros (part). Alluding to the sepals which "are spontaneously thrown off from the flower shortly after they have expanded . . . . " Petalocentrnm Schlechter, in Fedde, Repert. 15 (1918), 144. Oneidieae. III. Gr. ,rernXov petalon (petal), ,ivTpov kentron (spur). From the spurred petals.

Pentulops Rafinesque, Fl. Tellur. 4 (1836), 42. j . ii Lycasteae. IV. Gr. ,revre pente (five), TvXo, tulos (c:lllus). From the 5 parallel wart-like or crest-iike calluses on the lip.

Petalochilus R. S. Rogers, in J. Bot. 62 (1924), 65. Caladeneae. X. Gr. 1rhaXov petal.on (leaf, petal), xe1Aos cheilos (lip). "The outstanding feature of the new genus is, of course, the ancestral form of the labellum." The Iabellum is morphologically a modified petal and, in this case, as a result of partial peloria, did not undergo modification. ·

Peraminm Salisbury, in Trans. Hort. Soc. 1 (1812), 30~. . Erythrodeae. I, VI. Gr. ,r~paµwv peramium {pouch, httle wallet). In allus10n probably to the saccate basal part of the hp.

Petronia Barbosa-Rodrigues, Gen. et Sp. Orch. Nov. 1 (1877), 107. Zygopetaleae. III. In homage to His Majesty Dom Pedro II; Emperor of Brazil, 1831-1889, enthusiastic patron of the sciences. .

,

.

,

,!

Pergamena Finet, in Bull. Soc. Bot. France 47 (1900), 26~ .. Calypsoeae. VI. Lat. ·pergamena (parchment). Descnbmg the texture of the leaves. · Peristeranthus T. E. Hunt, in Queensl. Nat. 15 (1954), 17. Sarcantheae-Sarcochilinae, XI. Gr. 1repu,repa peristera (dove), &vBos anthos (flower). The flower bears "a fanciful resemblance to a dove."

PhadrC1rnnthus Necker, Elem. Bot. 3 (1790), 133. Oncidieae. III, IV. Gr. q,a,8pbs phaedros (shining), &vBos a.nthos (flower). In reference perhaps to rather waxy floral segments. Phaius Loureiro, Fl. Cochinch. 2 (1790), .529. Phaieae. VI, VII, VIII, IX. Gr. ,f,«bs phriios (gray; swarthy). From the preponderantly brownish hue of the flowers.

-

DICTIONARY LISTING OF ORCHID GENERA

239

Phalaenopsis Blume, Bijdr. (1825), 294. Sarcantheae-Sarcochilinae. VI, IX, X, XI. Gr . ."'"''a"a phalaina (~th), 8,/ns opsis (appearance). From the supposed likeness of the flower o he type species to certain, tropical moths. Phaniasia Blume ex Miguel, in Ann. Mus. Bot. Lugd.-Bat. 2 (1865~66), 206. Habenarieae. VI. Gr. q,avb, phanos (visible; bright; evident), &uw, asios (muddy). Meaning not clear but referring perhaps to the conspicuousness of this tiny yet beautiful orchid in crevices or on rocks in well,watered places. Philippinaea Schlechter & Ames ex Ames, Orch. 6 (1920), 278. Erythrodeae. IX. From the Philippine Islands, where the type species is endemic. Phloephila Hoehne & Schlechter, in Arqu. Bot. Est. Sao Paulo 1 (1926), 199. Pleurothallideae. III. Gr. q,Ao,6, phloios (bark),
Phormangis Schlechter, in Beih. Bot. Centralbl. 36 (1918), Abt. 2, 103. Sarcantheae-Aeranginae. VII. Gr.
PLATE P-7. Redrawn fron1 "Illustrations of Orchidaceous Plants," edited by Tho111as Moore, London, 1857.

238

Phyllorkis Thouars, in Nouv. Bull. Soc. Philorn. Paris 1 (1809), 319. Bulbophylleae. VIII. Gr.
DICTIONARY LISTING OF ORCHID GENERA

PHOLIDOTA -

..

pectin a fa PI,ATE P-9.

PLATE P-8 .

240

241

-

242

GENERIC NAMES OF ORCHIDS AND THEIR MEANING

DICTIONARY LISTING OF ORCHID GENERA

~-

243

PHRACMORCHIS TERETIFOLIA

1
j

.

6

3 1 PLATE P-11.

PLATE P~lO. Phragmip"edium caudat~m Rolfe.

Phymatidium Lindley, in Gen. and Sp. Orch. PL (1833), 209. Ornithocephaleae. III. Gr. _Diminutive of
.

244

GENERIC NAMES OF ORCHIDS AND THEIR MEArING DICTIONARY ·LISTING OF ORCHID GENERA

245

A~··, PLATE P-12. Phraetia aristul-ifera Ames.

Physoceras Schlechter, in Fedde, Repert. Beih. 33 (1925), 78. Habenarieae. VIII. Gr.
(JJ

.

..

il

Fhysnrus L. C. Richard, in Mem. Mus. Paris 4fl818), 55. ' Erythrodeae. I, II, III. Gr.
•

Pinelia Lindley, Fol. Orch. (1853), Pinelia 277. Laelieae. III. Dedicated to Chevalier Pine!, "a French botanist vvho has paid attention to the.minute species of the order."

PLATE P-13. Physosiphon lubatus Rchb. :fil.

Piperia Rydberg, in Bull. Torr. Bot. Club 28 (1901), 269 . Platanthereae. I. Dedicated to Prof. Charles V. Piper (1867-1926) of the Agricultural Experiment Station at Pullman, Washington. Pittierella Schlechter, in Fedde, Repert. 3 (1906), 80. Cryptocentreae. II, III. Dedicated to the Swiss botanist, Dr. Henry Fran~ois

246

GENERIC NAMES OF ORCHIDS AND THE!_R MEANING·

247

DICTIONARY .LISTING OF ORCHID GENERA

Pittier (1857-1950), educated in Jena, Zurich, and Lausanne; founder and director (1887-1905) of the Institute of Physical Geography of Costa Rica, which explored and mapped the country; collector of 15,000 Costa Rican plants; with the United States Department of Agri_culture from 1905 to 1917, exploring many areas of Middle and northern South America and becoming a world-recognized authority oii'the flora of tropical America; from 1919 until his death, the moving figure in Venezuelan botany; Director· of the Museo Comercial; founder of the Herbario Nacional de Venezuela; and author of many articles on the Venezuelan flora, including "Manual de las Plantas Usuales de Venezuela" (1926).

\

Pityphyllum Schlechter, in Fedde, Repert. Beih. 7 (1920), 162. Maxillarieae. III. Gr. 1rlrv, pitys (pine),
K~dv~

a.v8npa.

kline (bed). From

Platycoryne Reichenbach fil., in Bonpl. 3 (1855), 212. Habenarieae. VII. Gr. ,rl\ad, platys (broad), Kopvv~ koryne (club). From.the broad and thickened rostellum. · Platyglottis L. 0. Williams ex Woodson & Shery, in Ann. Mo. Bot. Gard. 29 (1942), 345. Laelieae. II. Gr. 1rAaru, platys (broad), -yl\wra glotta (tongue). Referring probably to the broad, ligulate lip which is .Mtire or almost entire.

Platylepis Lindley, Veg: Kingd. (1847), 181. Erythr. odeae. VII, VIII, IX. Gr. ,rl\arv, pl_a;yj. (broad), l\,1rl, lepis (&cale). Descriptive probably of the very large, ov~ floral bracts.

129,

Platypus Small & Nash, Fl. Southeast U.S. (1903), 1329. / · Cyrtopodieae. I. Gr ..., aru, platys (wide), ,roil, pous jloot)fFrom the broad foot of the column.

, __

·114=.

P!atyrhiza Barbosa-Rodrigues, Gen. et Sp. Oreb. Nov. 2 (1881), 230. Ornithocephaleae. III. Gr. 1r,arv, platys (broad; flat), tll!;a rhiza (root). From the long, flattened roots.

PLATE P-14. Platystele ornata Garay.

Platysma Blume, Bijdr. (1825), 295, t. 43. Podochileae. IX. Gr. 1r'Aa.rv
Platystylis Lindley, Gen. and Sp. Oreb. Pl. (1830), 18. · _ · _ ._ Liparideae. IX. Gr. ,rJ,..arv, platys (broad; flat),
Platystele Schlechter, in Fedde, Repert. 8 (1910), 565.' Pleurothatlideae. II, III. Gr. 1rl\arv, platys (broad), "'~"~ stele (column). Descriptive of the short column which is dilated above.'

Plectrelminthus Rafinesque, Fl. Tellur. 4 (1836), 42. - ·sarcantheae-Angraecinae. VIL Gr. ,rl\ijKrpov. plektron (spur), ll.µ.iv8wv helmiruhion (worm). Descriptive of the very long, vermiform spur.

248

GENERIC NAMES OF ORCHIDS AND THEIR MEANING

Plectrophora Focke, in Tijdschr. Nat. Wetensch. 1 (1848), 212. Ionopsideae. III. Gr. 1r'!.~Krpov plektron (spur), -
DICTIONARY. LISTING OF ORCHID GENERA

o..s~itan,s

Pleione D. Don, Prodr. (1825), 36. Coelogyneae. VI, IX. Gr. IIA~,6v~ Pleione. Dedicated to Pleione, mother of the Pleiades. Pleuranthium Bentham, in J. Linn. Soc. 18 (1881), 312. Laelieae. III, IV. Gr. 1r'!.rnp6v pleuron (rib; side), &veos anthos (flower). Possibly alluding to the placement of the flowers "in the axils of distichous leaves." Plenrobotryum Barbosa-Rodrigues, Gen. et Sp. Orch. Nov. 1 (1877), 20. Pleurothallideae. III. Gr. 1r'!.,up6v pleuron (rib; side), f36rpus botrys (bunch of · grapes). Descriptive of the disposition of the flowers. Pleurothallis R. Brown, in Aiton, Hort. Kew., ed. 2, 5 (1813), 211. Pleurothallideae. I, II, III, IV. Gr. 1r'!.,uphv pleuron (rib), ea'!.Ms thallos (shoot; branch). In reference to the many leaf-bearing, rib-like stems arising cespitosely in most of the species. · Plenrothallopsis Porto & Brade, in Arch. Inst. Biol. Veget. Rio Janeiro 3 (1937), 133. . Pleurothallideae. III. Pleurothallis (a genus of orchids), _Gr. 6,f,ts apsis (resemblance). Like Pleurothallis (q.v.). ) .

I

Plexaure Endlicher, Prod. FI. Norf. (1833), 30. Thelasieae. IX, X, XL Lat. plexus (braided), auris (ear). Descriptive , probably of the long braid- or tress-like inflo7es ence. · Plocoglottis Blume, Bijdr. (1825), 380. , .Phajeae. IX. Gr. 1r'!.0K~ ploke (binding together; fasteµingjbraid), 'fAwrra glotta (tongue). Alluding to the lip which is short cop.t!ate «.ith the base of the column, to which it is joined on.each side by a membranous fold. Poaephyllum Ridley, Mat. FI. Malay Pen., pt. 1 (1907), 108. Glomereae. IX. Gr. 1r6a poa (grass),
249

250

GENERIC NAMES OF ORCHIDS AND THEIR MEANING

DICTIONARY .LISTING OF ORCHID GENERA

251

Podanthera Wight, Icon. Plant. Ind. Orch. 5 (1852), t. 1759. Epipogoneae. VI. Gr. ,roii<, ,roobs pous, podos (foot), lw8~p6. anthera (anther). Descriptive of the "arched, crest-like foot to the anther." Podochilus Blume, Bijdr. (1825), 295, t. 12. Podochileae. VI, IX. Gr. "°"'• ,roobs pous, piJdps (foot), x•'
J

Polyotidium Garay, in Bot. Mus. Leaf!. Harvard Univ . .i.'k (1958), 105. Ionopsideae. III. Gr. ,roAiis polys· (many), w,Lowv otidion (small ear). In allusion to the several auricles on the column. Polyrrhiza Pfitzer, in Engler & Prantl, Natiirl. Pflanzenfam. 2, 6 (1888-1889), 215. ' Sarcantheae-Angraecinae. I, IV. Gr. ,roM, polys (many), ,llta rhiza (root). With roots, which grow on the bark of trees and become very extensive and conspicuous. Polysfachya Hooker, Exot. Fl. 2 (1825), t. 103. Polystachyeae. I, II, III, IV, VII,.VIII, IX. Gr. ,roAVs polys (many), u,6.xvs stachys (ear of grain; spike). From the many branchlets which make up the inflorescence in some species and which may resemble spikes of wheat.

10

PLATE P-16. Pogonia ophioglossoides (L.) Ker-Gaw 1.

252

GENERIC NAMES OF ORCHIDS AND THEIR MEANING DICTIONARY LISTiNG OF ORCHID GENERA

1

253

8

. G°""'\

d.J...

PLATE P-18. Polyotidiu1n Huebneri (Mansf.) G;:iray.

PLATE P-17.

Polystylus Hasselt ex Hasskarl, Retzia 3 (1855). Sarcantheae-Sarcochilinae: IX. Gr. 1roM, polys (many), .,.,6Xos stylos (column). Alluding possibly to the appendaged lip, which has the appearance of having many slender segments. Polytoma Loureiro ex Gomes, in Mem. Acad. Sci. Lisb. Cl. Sc. Pol. Mor. Bel.Let., n.s., 4 (1868), 30.

-~

254

GENERIC NAMES OF ORCHIDS AND THEIR MEANING

PLATE P-19. Polyrrhiza Lindenii (Lindl.) Cogn.

DICTIONARY LISTING OF ORCHID GENERA

PLATE P-20. Polystaehya foliosa (Hook.) Rchb. fil.

255

---------------------------------~--~··---~

256

GENERIC NAMES OF ORCHIDS AND THEIR MEA(iING DICTIONARY LISTING OF ORCHID GENERA

Bletilleae. IX. Gr . .-oXv, polys (many), rnµ.6, tomos (cutting). Descriptive probably of the conspicuous crest of the lip which is cut into a number of longitudinal keels. Pomatocalpa Breda, in Kuhl & Hasselt, Orch. (1827), t, 15. Sarcantheae-Saccolabiinae. VI, IX. Gr . .-wµ.a (,a,o,) poma ('.atos) (drinking cup), ,6.X.-~ kalpe (pitcher). In allusion to the u'rceolate lip. Ponera Lindley, Gen. and Sp. Orch. Pl. (1831), 113. Laelieae. II, III. Gr . .-ov~po, poneros (miserable; good-for-nothing). Alluding

possibly to the small and unattractive flowers, or to the lean and weak . appearance of the type species. Ponerorchis Reichenbach fil., in Linn11,ea 25 (1852), 227. Platanthereae. VI: Gr . .-ov~po, poneros (miserable; ·good-for-nothing), ~PX" orchis (orchid). Descriptive of the small habit. Ponthieva R. Brown, in Aiton, Hort. Kew., ed. 2, 5 (1813), 199. Cranichideae. I, II, III, IV. In commemoration of a noted French West

Indian merchant, M. Henri de Ponthieu, who sent a number of plant col· lections to Sir Joseph Banks in 1778. Porolabium Tang & Wang, in Bull. Fan Mem. Inst. Biol. Peiping, Bot. Ser. 10

(1940), 36. Porolabieae. VI. Gr . .-bpo, poros (pore), Lat. labium (lip). Descriptive of the 2 pores near the base of the lip. Porpax Lindley, in Bot. Reg. 31 (1845), Misc. 63. Dendrobieae. VI, IX. Gr . .-op,ra~ porpax (handle of shield). Alluding prob-

ably to the "pair of little oblong leaves recurved at their point" which arise from the pseudo bulb, or, according to :Kranzlin, perhaps referring, 1 as "handle of a shield," to the scutiform pseu~obulbs. Porphyrodesme Schlechter, in Fedde, Repert. Beili. .1 (1913), ·982. Sarcantheae-Saccolabiinae. IX. Gr. ,rop
°'"I'~ de'sme (bundle). Referring to the abbreviated, f~islt inflorescence with its ) scarlet flowers.

Porphyroglottis Ridley, in J. Linn. Soc.. 31 (1896), 290. ,l Cymbidieae. IX: Gr . .-op
Descriptive of the dark purple lip in the type species. Porphyrostachys Reichenbach fil., in Xen. Orch. ·1 (1854), ·18. Cranichideae. III. Gr . .-op
.,,,a.x.°v,

wheat). Alluding probably to the fanciful resemblance of the inflorescence, · with dense reddish flowers, to a large ear of wheat. Porroglossum Schlechter, in Fedde, Repert. Beih. 7 (1920), 82. PleurothaUideae. III. Gr . .-bppw porro .(forward), -yAw
From the characteristically porrect lip which is projected far forward on a very narrow and long column-foot.

PLATE P-21.

257

-

-~

-

258

. THEIR. MEANING GENERIC NAMES OF ORCHIDS AND - -

y LISTING OF ORCHID GENERA

259

ll n (leaf). R BDICTIONPAR , v praso (1810), 317. n (leek),
~

k

PR£8COTTIA • .

~

PLATE P-23.

.

.

25) J. US. . ~ngtish bo~oiS -. :Exot. Fl.2 ol (18 'utstandmg Russia, · Limll,y•·HookrnV. In b 1"37), ~d~;. in .,,_ U,e Prn,ro::::i.~fil. I, II, D. P=tt, of kis. PeJernbfil,, l•J . wafter in F,s.~:nw d,,fil'lm,nJ, who travelle ourJIIB fnen nee with the more

¥Ju?

= ~. ~t.J

~;ti,, ":"'"J.i, "","'.r';n'i,.roJJ, me Prescot,a by his acquan'ta na 1s . known less who

l:::.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ------= -

260

GENERIC NAMES OF ORCHIDS AND THEIR MEANING

of botany than by the facilities which he affords to communication between men of science in this country and in Russia." Pristiglottis Cretz & J. J. Smith, in Acta Fauna Flora Univers., Sec. II: Bot. 1, no. 14 (1934), 4. Erythrodeae. IX. Gr. ,rpl
DICTIONARY LISTING OF ORCHID GENERA

PSEUDACORIDIUM ,

ex!.9uum

Promenaea Lindley, in Bot. Reg. 29 (1843), Misc. p. 13. Zygopetaleae. III. Gr. ITpoµima Promeneia. For Promeneia, a priestess at Dodona, mentioned by Herodotus. Prosthechea Knowles & Westcott, Fl. Cab. 2 (1838), 111. Laelieae. IL Gr. ,rpo
b

Pseudodiphryllum Nevski, in Komarov, Fl. USSR 4 (1935), 649, 752. Platanthereae. VI. Gr. ,f,evo~, pseudes (false), Diphryllum (a genus of orchids). From resemblance to Diphryllum (q.v.). Pseudoeurystyles Hoehne, in Arqu. Bot. Est. Sao Paulo, n. s., forma maior 1 (1944), 129. Spirantheae. III. Gr. ,f,,vo~, pseudes (false), Eurystyles (a.genus of orchids). From a resemblance to Eurystyles (q.v.). Pseudogoodyera Schlechter, in Beih. Bot. Centralbl. 37, Abt. 2 (1920), 369. Spirantheae. IV. Gr. ,f,,vo~, pseudes (false), Goodyera (a genus of orchids). False Goodyera (q.v.).

PLATE P-24.

I !4.me.s

261

262

GENERIC NAMES OF ORCHIDS AND THEIR MEANING

Pseudolaelia Campos-Porto & Brade, in Arqu. Inst. Biol. Veget. Rio Janeiro 2 . (1935), 209. Laelieae. III. Gr. ,J,,vofis pseudes (false), Laelia (a genus of orchids). From resemblance to Laelia (q. v.).

263

DICTIONARY LISTING OF ORCHID GENERA

Pseudoliparis Finet, in Bull. Soc. Bot. France 54-(1907), 536. Liparideae. IX. Gr. ,J,,vofis pseudes (false), Liparis (a genus of orchids). _ Alluding to a relationship with Liparis (q.v.). Pseudomacodes Rolfe, in Kew Bull. 1892 (1892), 127. Erythrodeae. IX. Gr. ,J,evofis pseudes (false), Macodes (a genus of orchids). False Macodes (q.v.). Pseudomaxillaria Hoehne, in Arqu. Bot. Est. Siio Paulo, n. s., forma maior 2, fasc. 4 (1947), 71. Maxillarieae. III. Gr. ,J,,vofis pseudes (false), Maxillaria (a genus of orchids). ' False Maxillaria {q.v.). Pseudorchis S. F. Gray, Nat. Arr. Brit. Pl. 2 (1821), 213. Liparideae. I, V, VI. Gr. ,J,evofis pseudes (false), Orchis (a genus of orchids). Alluding to a relationship with Orchis. Pseudostelis Schlechter, in Anexos Mem. Inst. Butantan, Sec. Bot. 1, fasc. 4 . (1922), 38, t. 7, fig. 1. Pleurothallideae. III. Gr. ,J,evofis pseudes (false), Stelis (a genus of orchids). False Stelis (q.v.). · Psilochilus Barbosa-Rodrigues, Gen. et Sp. Orch. Nov. 2 (1881), 272. Pogonieae. II, III, IV. Gr. ,J,,M, psilos (bare)(Jxe,'llo, cheilos (lip). From the glabrous lip of the type species. . · Psittacoglossum La Llave & Lexarza, Nov. Veg~Dsc. Orch. 2 (1825), 49. Maxillarieae. IL Gr. ,J,,naKos psittakos (par ), "{Awuua glossa (tongue). From the very thick, fleshy lip which resem es tM.e tongue of a parrot. ..

I, i

;

Psychechilus Breda, in Kuhl & Hasselt, Orch. (1827), t,h. Erythrodeae. IX. Gr. ,J,vxfi psyche (butterfly), xe,Aos cheilos (lip). Descriptive of the conspicuously bilobed papilionaceous lip. Psychilis Rafinesque, Fl. Tellur. 4 (1836), 40. _ Laelieae. III. Gr. ,J,vxfi psyche (butterfly), xe,'llo, cheilos (lip). Alluding to the large, free, laterally two-winged lip, which is white, red, and yellow. · Psychopsis Rafinesque, FL Tellur. 4 (1836), 40. Oncidieae. III. Gr. ,J,vxfi psyche (butterfly), &,/;ts opsis (like). Describing the large flowers which are "variegated of yellow and orange" and strikingly resemble certain tropical butterflies.

'

'

2

'

"/flt

::,'i'I 'I

I

:'.f:Y

5

4

1i:

,] ,I

PSILOCHILUS

macro;,j(lu.s (o6indfJ .Ame,s PLATE P-25.

264

GENERIC NAMES OF ORCHIDS AND THEIR MEANING

265

DICTIONARY LISTING OF ORCHID GENERA

Pterichis Lindley, Gen. and Sp. Orch. Pl. (1840), 444. Cranichideae. II; IV. Gr. ,rrEpov pteron (wing; feather), or ,mpl, pteris (fern). Possibly, from the large, wing-like lip. Pteroceras Hasselt ex Hasskarl, Flora 25, pt. 2 Beibl. (1842), 6. Sarcantheae-Sarcochilinae. IX. Gr. ,rTEpov pteron (feather; quill), •<pas keras (horn). Descriptive cif the 2 narrow wing-like appendages' at the base of the lip. Pterochilus Hooker & Arnott, Bot. Beech. Voy. (1832), 71, t. 17. Liparideae. IX. Gr. ,rTEp6v pteron (bird), x,,Aos cheilos (lip). From the lip· produced above into 2 acute, ovate rings. ·

J\l j

!

Pteroglossa Schlechter, in Beih. Bot. Centralbl. 37 (1920), Abt. 2, 449. Spirantheae. III. Gr. ,rrEpov pteron (wing), 7;\wuua glossa (tongue). Alluding to the wing-like dilation of the lip in several species. Pteroglossaspis Reichenbach fil., Otia Bot, Hamb. 1 (1878), 67. Cyrtopodieae. I, III, IV, VII. Gr. ,rTEpbv pteron (wing), 'fAwuua. glossa (lip), au,rls aspis (shield). From the shield-like wings of the column which.merge with the base of the lip. Pterostemma Kranzlin, in Engler, Bot. Jahrb.'26 (1899), 489. Pterostemmateae. III. Gr. ,rnp6v pteron (wing; feathers), ur<µµa. stemma (wreath). Descriptive probably of the equitant leaves which give the plant a wing-like appearance. · ·

.'[;/-: '.

···~.:~\')-1. . .~ '1..-Z' 2. I

Pterostylis R. Brown, Prodr. (1810), 326. Pterostylideae. X, XI. Gr. ,rrEpov pteron - (winged), uru;\ls stylis (style). From the long column which is laterally winpd, Pterygodimn Swartz, in Kgl. Vetensk. Akad. N,/J(i, Handl. Stockh. 21 (1800), 217,. t. 3, fig. e. Disper_ideae. VII. Gr. 1rrepu7wowv pterygod~ion, diminutive of ,rrlpu!; pteryx (wing). Descriptive probably of the dorsals and petals which are united into an erect, hood-shaped segment, anq f th<e lateral sepals; similar in shape and size to the dorsal sepal: giving a wing-like ajpearance to the flower. ,/ Ptilocnema D. Don, Prodr. (1825), 33. Coelogyneae. VI, IX, X. Gr. ,rrlXov ptilon (feather), •v~µ~ kneme (peduncle). From the peduncle which is plume-like. Ptychochilus Schauer, in Nov. Act. Nat. Cur. 19, Suppl. 1 (1843) (Pl. Meyen.), 431, t. 12. Tropidieae. I, II, III, IV, VI, VII, VIII, IX. Gr. ,rrui;, 1rrux6, ptyx, ptychos (fold), xe,Aos cheilos (lip). Of the lip.which encloses the column in its folds. Ptychogyne Pfitzer, in Engler, Pflanzenr. IV, 50 (1907), 18. Coelogyneae. IX. Gr. ,rr&!;, nux6, ptyx, ptychos (fold), 7uv~ gyne (column). In allusion possibly to the prominent sigmoid fold at the base of the lip near the attachment of the lip to the column.

'!W

j~/ 1f

PT£ROSTYLlS cautescens PLATE P-26.

L.

tiJ.ms

266

GENERIC NAMES OF ORCHIDS AND THEIR MEANING DICTIONARY LISTING OF ORCHID GENERA

Pygmaeorchis Brade, in Arqu. Serv. Florest., Rio Janeiro 1 (1939), 42, t. 2. Laelieae. HI. Gr . .-u-yµa,o, pygmaios (dwarf), Spx" orchis (orchid). Alluding to the diminutive size of the plant.

Quekettia Lindley, in Bot. Reg. 25 (1839), Misc. p. 3. Oncidieae. III. In commemoration of Mr. E. J. Quekett, F.L.S., a British plant anatomist of great note. Queteletia Blume, Orch. Arch. Ind. (1858), 117, t. 37. Erythrodeae. IX. Honoring the physician Dr. A. Quetelet, a contemporary of Blume and academician in Brussels, who was outstanding equally in medical and botanical studies.

Radinocion Ridley, in Bol. Soc. Brot. 5 (1887), 200. Sarcantheae-Angraecinae. VIL Gr. pa6,v6, r.hadjnos (delicate; slender), Klwv kion (column). Descriptive of the slender colu11n. Ramonia Schlechter, in Fedde, Repert. Beih. 19 (1923), 294. Laelieae. II. In honor of the town of San Ramon, Costa Rica, where the material of the type species was collected. . j' Ramphidia Miquel, Fl. Ind. Bat. 3 (1858), 73f!./f'". · , , Erythrodeae. VII, IX, X. Gr. Diminutive of paµ<J,o,./rhajphos (crooked beak). Possibly from the lip which is posteriorly gal
~~AT~

_Q.--:1. Quekettia pyg1naea (Cogn.) Garay & R. E. Schult.

267

l

268

GENERIC NAMES OF ORCHIDS AND THEIR MEANING

269

DICTIONARY LISTING OF ORCHID GENERA

/ ~ - - - " . . " : : ___

V----.~ .

.

·•

PLATE R-la. Heinrich Gustav Reichenbach. '

,I Reichenbach, and a native of Dresden; holder of academic appointments in several German universities, Professor of Natural History and Director of the Botanic Garden at Hamburg; founder of the Reichenbach Herbarium which he bequeathed to the herbarium in Vienna; writer of numerous basic works on orchidology, such as "Xenia Orchidacea," contributor to the serial Reichenbachia, which was named in his honor, and author of a principal work approaching a resume of the whole orchid family, published in Walpers' Annales in 1861-1863. Renanthera Loureiro, Fl. Cochinch. 2 (1790), 521.

Sarcantheae-Vandinae. VI, IX.· Lat. renes (kidney), Gr. av8~pa anthera (anther). In allusion to the kidney-shaped pollinia of the original species.

, __

, __ PLATER-lb. Reiche1ibachanthus reflex us.

.--

270

GENERIC NAMES OF ORCHIDS AND THEIR MEANJNG DICTIONARY LISTING OF ORCHID GENERA

Renantherella Ridley, in J. Linn. Soc. 32 (1896), 354. Sarcantheae 0 Vandinae. IX. Diminutive of Renanthera (a genus of orchids). Implying a relationship with Renanthera (q.v.). Renata Ruschi, Orquid. Nov. Est. Espirito Santo (1946), 5. Laelieae. III. Dedicated to Miss Renata Aurelia Ruschi.

271

Rhynchopera Klotzsch, in Link, Klotzsch & Otto, Icon. Plant. Rar. (1841), 103,

~~

Ple!r;lallideae. III. Gr. i,v-yxo, rhynchos (snout), .. ··era (pouch). From the )0J1g, snout~shaped lip which is basally concave. pa~ ·

Restrepia Humboldt, Bonpland & Kunth, Nov. Gen. et Sp. i (1815), 366. !'leur~thallideae .. II, III. Dedicated to Sr. Jose E. Restrepo, "who first mvestigated the Natural History of the Antioquian Andes" in Colombia. Rhamphidia Lindley, in J. Linn. Soc. 1 (1857), 181. Erythrodeae. IX. Gr. i,6.µ<J,o, rhamphos (crooked beak). From the bent, beak-like lip.

Rhynchophreatia Schlechter, in Engler, Bot. Jahrb. 56 (1921), 488. Thelasieae. IX. Gr. i,v-yxos rhynchos (snout), Phreatia (a genus of orchids). Differentiating the genus from Phreatia (q.v.), because of the long rostellum.

Rhaphidorhynchns Finet, in Bull. Soc. Bot. France, liv. Mem. 9 (1907), 32. Sarcantheae-Angraecinae. VIII. Gr. pa<J,l, rhaphis (needle), i rel="nofollow">vno, rhynchos (snout). Descriptive of the greatly elongated rostellum.

Rhynchostylis Blume, Bijdr. (1825), 285, t. 49. Sarcantheae-Sarcochilinae. VI, IX. Gr. pv-yxo, rhynchos (beak), crTV'Al, stylis (column). From the beaked column of the flowers of the original species of the genus.

Rhinerrhiza Rupp, in Viet. Nat. 67 (1951), 206. Sarcantheae-Sarcochilinae. ~I. Gr. p.v,,, rhinein (to file; rasp), pls a· rhiza (root). From the very pap1llose-rough1 rasp-like roots. Rhipidoglossum Schlechter, in Beik. Bot. Centralbl. 36 '(1918), Abt: 2, 80, Sarcantheae-Podanginae. VII. Gr; /mrl, rhipis (bellows), -y'Aw,ura glossa (tongue); From the flabellate lip. Rhizanthella Rogers, in J. Roy. Soc. W. Austral. 15 (1928), 1, tt. 1, 2. Rhizanthelleae. XI. Gr. pli"a rhiza (root), a,eo, anthos (flower). Diminutive of Rhizanthes, a saprophytic plant of the Rajff,esiaceae. Alluding either to the inflorelicence, which is bo.me directly o~-he subterranean rhizomes, or to the resemblance in the. saprophytic a almost wholly underground growth-habit of the orchid to that of the ra esiaceous plant. Rhomboda Lindley, in J. Linn. Soc. 1 (1857), 181. Erythrodeae. VI. Gr. i,6µ/30, rhombos (rhomboic;)IJ'. Alluding to the 2 rhoihboid appendixes near the base of the lip. ,/f" . , , Rhynchadenia A. Richard, in La Sagra Fl. Cub. Fan. 2 (185~, 248, t. 85. Macradenieae. IV. Gr. pv-yxo, rhynchos (beak), a.on• dJien (gland). From the elongate rostellum which is terminated with an oblong-elliptic gland. Rhynchandra Reichenbach, Norn. Bot. 2 (1841), 56. Tropidieae. IX. Gr. pv-yxo, rhynchos (beak), li.e~p, li.eop6, aner, andros (man). From the pointed rostellum in which the anther lies. . Rhynchanthera Blume, Bijdr. Tabell. (1826), t. 78. Tropidieae. IX. Gr. pv-yxo, rhynchos (snout), 6.eO~p6. anthera. (anther).· From the elongated shape of the anther. Rhyncholaelia Schlechter, in Beik. Bot. Centralbl. 36 A'.bt. 2 (1918), 477. Laelieae. II. Gr. pv-yxo, rhynchos (snout), Laelia (a ge)lus of orchids). Referring to the rostate fruit which was used to separate the genus from Laelia (q.v.). .

Rhynchostele Reichenbach fil., in Bot. Zeit. 10 (1852), 770. Oncidieae. III. Gr. "pv-yxo, rhynchos (snout), crn'A,6, steleos (stalk; haft). Descriptive probably of the elongated rostellum.

Ridleyella Schlechter, in Fedde, Repert. Beik. 1 (1913), 948. Ridleyelleae. IX. Dedicated to one of the most active of British botanists, Henry N. Ridley, F.L.S., F.R.S. (1855-1956), a native of Norfolk, outstanding for his many and varied achievements: pioneer work on the flora of the Malay Peninsula; service to horticulture in introducing new garden plants from the tropics; founding of the herbarium at Singapore; discovery of a method of tapping Hevea rubber trees, and many other services to the rubber plantation industry; service as editor of the Agricultural Bulletin of Straits Settlements and Federated Malay States and of the Journal of the Straits Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society,· his extensive writings, including "Flora of the Malay Peninsula," "Dispersal of Plants throughout the World," and his description of many new species of orchids. Rimacola Rupp, in Viet. Nat. 58 (1942), 188. Cal,adenieae. XI. Lat. rima (crack; cleft), cola (inhabitant). Descriptive of the habitat: "in the wet crevices and on damp ledges of sandstone cliffs." Risleya King & Pantling, Orch. Sikkim-Rima!. (1898), 246. Calypsoeae. VI. Dedicated to the Hon. H. H. Risley, C.I.E., "of the Bengal Civil Service, one of the Secretaries to the Government of Bengal, a distinguished ethnologist and author of an important work on the "Tribes and Castes of Bengal." Ritaia King & Pantling, Oreb. Sikkim-Himal. (1898), 156. Glomereae. VI. Dedicated to "Mr. Rita, of the Khasia Commission, an enthusiastic collector of orchids, to whom we are much beholden for most efficient assistance in the_ exploration of the Orchid Flora of the Khasia Hills." Robiquetia Gaudichaud, in Freycinet, Voy. Bot. (1826), 426, t. 34. Sarcantheae-Saccolabiinae. IX. In honor of M. Pierre Robiquet, a French chemist, for his numerous important chemical discoveries, including caffeine and morphine.

272

GENERIC NAMES OF ORCHIDS AND THEIR MEANING DICTIONARY LISTING OF ORCHID GENERA

Rodriguezia Ruiz & Pav6n, Fl. Peruv. Prodr. (1794), 115, t. 25. Ionopsibeae. II, III. In commemoration of Don Manuel Rodriguez, a Spanish botanist and apothecary, a contemporary of the explorers Ruiz and Pav6n.

I

273

Rodrigueziella 0. Kuntze, Rev. Gen. Pl. 2 (1891), 649. Oncidieae .. III. Dedicated to Dr. Joao Barbosa-Rodrigues. Vide Barbosella. Rodrigueziopsis Schlechter, in Fedde, Repert. 16 (1920), 427. Oncidieae. III. Gr. 6,J," opsis (resemblance), Rodriguezia (a genus of orchids). Resembling Rodriguezia (q.v.). Roeperocharis Reichenbach fil., Otia Bot. Hamb. 2 (1881), 74. Habenarieae. VIL Roeper (personal name), Gr. X"P" charis (grace). Dedicated to. a Herr Roeper, "a man of great merit and pious spirit." Roezliella Schlechter, in Fedde, Repert. 15 (1918), 146. Oncidieae. III. Dedicated to Herr Benedict Riizl, traveller and plantcollector whose work in the Andes greatly enriched South American orchidology. Rolfea Zahlbruckner, in J. Bot. 36 (1898), 493. Sobralieae. II, III. In honor of an outstanding English orchidologist, Mr. Robert Allen Rolfe (1855-1921), native of Nottinghamshire, editor of the Orchid Review from 1893-1920. Rolfeella Schlechter, in Fedde, Repert. Beih. 33 (1924), 18. Platanthereae. VIII. Diminutive of Rolfea (q. v.).

A'

:1.,_..,

P.z.t-o.l.show1r19tlp.

Flo""-«r

5

Colu ........ , f\..,!hq;.- ,!, Lip

Col'-'"""'

PLATE R-2.

I.

Pa\h..,,a.

Rudolfiella Hoehne, in Arqu. Bot. Est. Siio Paulo, n. s., forma maior 2, fasc. 1 (1944), 14. Lycasteae. III. Dedicated to the outstanding German orchidologist, Dr. Rudolf Schlechter (1872--1925), botanical explorer in Africa, the Dutch East Indies, New Guinea and Australia from 1891 to 1910; prolific writer in the journal Orchis, author of the orchidological handbook "Die Orchideen" (ed. 1, 1915; ed. 2, 1927); organizer of the genera of the Orchidaceae into a new phylogenetic system (1926) which, with modifications, is still generally in use. Rusbyella Rolfe, in Mem. Torr. Bot. Club 6 (1896), 122. Oncidieae. III. Commemorating the American medical botanist, Dr. Henry Hurd Rushy (1855-1940), leader of 5 botanical expeditions to Middle-and South America in search of economic plants, many of which he described for the first time. Educated as a physician, he became Professor of Botany and Materia Medica, later Dean, at Columbia University College of Pharmacy, served as president of the Torrey Botanical Club, and, with Dr. N. L. Britton, was one cf the founders of the New York Botanical Garden.

274

GENERIC NAMES OF ORCHIDS AND THEIR MEANING . DICTIONARY LISTING OF ORCHID GENERA

275

PLATE R-4. Rudolf Schlechter.

Saccidium Lindley, Gen. and Sp. Orch. Pl. (1835), 301. Platanthereae. VII. Gr. 0'1KKOS sakkos (bag). From the saccate lateral sepals. Saccochilus Blume, Fl. Jav. Praef. (1828), 8. Sarcantheae-Saccolabiinae. IX. Gr. ua,Kos sakkos (bag), x,,Aos cheilos (lip). From the bag-like lip.

PLATE

R-3. Robert Allen Rolf~.

Saccoglossum Schlechter, in Fedde, Repert. Beih. 1 (1912), 683. Bulbophylleae. IX. Gr. uaKKos sakkos (sac), '"fAwuua glossa. (tongue). Emphasizing the sacciform)ip... Saccolabiopsls J. J. Smith, in Bull. Jard. Bot. Buit., ser. 2, 26 (1918), 93. Sarcantheae-Saccolabiinae. IX. Gr. 5ifm opsis (resemblance), Saccolabiurn (a genus of orchids). Like Saccolabiurn (q.v.).

276

GENERIC NAMES OF ORCHIDS AND THEIR MEANING DICTIONARY LIS'l'ING OF ORCHID GENERA

277

Saccolabium Blume, Bijdr. (1825), 292. Sarcantheae-Saccolabiinae. VI, IX, X, XI. Lat. saccus (bag), labium (lip). Suggestive of the bag-like shape of the lip. Sacodon Ra,finesque, Fl. Tellur. 4 (1836), 45. Cypripediloideae. VI. Gr. ui«
Sarcopodium Lindley & Paxton, in Paxton, Flow. Gard. 1 (1850-1851), 155. Dendrobieae. VI, IX. Gr. uap, sarx (flesh), ,cbowv podion (little foot). From the fleshy foot-like development at the base of the column. Sarcorbyncbus Schlechter, in Beih. Bot. Centralbl. 36 Abt. 2 (1918), 104. Sarcantheae-Aeranginae. VII. Gr. uap, sarx (flesh), i,uyxo, rhynchos (snout). From the fleshy rostellum.

278

GENERIC NAMES OF ORCHIDS AND THEIR. MEANING

DICTIONARY .LISTING OF ORCHID GENERA

279

Sarcostoma Blume, Bijdr. (1825), 339, t. 45. Glomereae. IX. Gr. uo.pl; sarx (flesh), uToµa stoma (mo_u_.~n allusion probably to the fleshy mid-lobe of the lip. Satorkis Thouars, in Nouv. Bull. Soc. Philom. Paris 1 (1809), 316. Platanthereae. VIII. Satyrium (a genus of orchids), Gr. 5px« orchis (orchid). Composed from sat and orchis, to indicate a relationship to Satyrium. Satyridium Lindley, Gen. and Sp. Orch. Pl. (1838), 345. Satyrieae. VII. Diminutive of Satyrium (a genus of orchids). Alluding to a relationship with Satyrium (q.v.). Satyrium Swartz, in Kgl. Vetensk. Akad. Nya Handl. Stockh. 21 (1800), 214 Satyrieae. VI, VII, VIII. Gr. uaTvpwv satyrion (man-orchis or Aceras anthropophora). A name used by Dioscorides and Pliny, probably from the Satyri, sylvan demigods of Greek mythology, noted especially for lasciviousness, here applied possibly because of presumed aphrodisiacal properties possessed by the plant. Saundersia Reichenbach fil., in Bot. Congr. Land. (1866), 120. Ionopsideae. III. Honoring Wilson W. Saunders, Esq. (1809-1879), ardent English collector and orchid enthusiast. Sauroglossum Lindley, in Bot. Reg. 19 (1833), t. 1618. Spirantheae. I, II, III, IV. Gr. uavpa saura (lizard), -y,wuua glossa (tongue). " . . . because many parts of this curious plant may' be likened to the tongue of some reptile: the leaves may be compared to the tongue of antediluvian Saurians, and the sepals to those of modern species." Sayeria Kranzlin, in Oestr. Bot. Zeitschr. 44 (1894), 257. Dendrobieae. IX. Dedicated to Mr. W. A. Sayer, who collected the type material in 'New Guinea. Scaphosepalum Pfitzer, in Engler & Prantl, Natiirl. Pflanzenfam. 2, 7 (1888. 1889), 139. Pleurothallideae. II, III. Gr.
S-2.

Scelochilus Klotzsch, in Otto & Dietrich, Allg. Gartenz. 9 (1841), 261. Ionopsideae. II, III. Gr. uKiAo, skelos (leg), x,1Ao, cheilos (lip). In allusion probably to the two basal horn-like structures on the margin of the lip.

281

DICTIONARY· LISTING OF ORCHID GENERA

4

. j/ t

}

I li

!

I

I

1

SCAPHOSEPALU1'1

~

Sta7;J!.9l cA.me;J

PLATE S-4. PLATE S-3. Sviranthes c1'anichoides (gTiseb.) Cogn.

280

282

GENERIC NAMES OF ORCHIDS AND THEIR MEANING DICTIONARY· LISTING OF ORCHID GENERA

SCA:PE{Y(j£OTTIS _?ropini-ua-. . 'f'i"~.~

PLATE S-5.

:

c. Sehweiy-

.·

,SC£..LQCH ILU.S

Pr.ATF.

S-G.

283

284

GENERIC NAMES OF ORCHIDS AND THEIR MEANING DICTIONARY LISTING OF ORCHID GENERA

285

Schaenomorphus Thorel ex Gagnepain, in Bull. Soc. Bot. France 80 (1933), 351, in obs. Tropidieae. IX. Gr. uxo'ivo, schoenos (reed; rush), µop
Scopularia Lindley, in Bot. Reg. 20 (1834), sub t. 1701. Platanthereae. VII. Lat. scapulae (little broom). From the finely lacerated apex of the lip.

Schiedeella Schlechter, in Beih. Bot. Centralbl. 37, (1920), Abt. 2, 378. Spirantheae. II. In honor of Herr C. J. Wilhelm Schiede, an outstanding . nineteenth century plant-collector in Mexico.

Scuticaria Lin,dley, in Bot. Reg. 29 (1843), Misc. 14. ~ Maxillarieae. III. Lat. scutica (a lash). From the usu I shape of the leaves, which are long, rounded and pendent in most species..

Schismoceras Pres!, Rel. Haenk. 1 (1827), 96, t. 13, f. 2. Dendrobieae. IX. Gr. ux,uµb, schismos (cleavage), K<pa, keras {horn). From the fleshy, acute sepals which stand erect like small horns. ·

Selenipedium Reichenbach fil., in Bonpl. 2 (1854), 116. Cypripediloideae. II, III. Gr. u,X~v~ selene (moon; crescent), ,rlo,l.o, pedilon (sandal). For the corniculate lip.

Schizochilus Souder, in Linnaea 19 (1847), 78. Platanthereae. VII. Gr. uxlta schiza (cleft wood; splinter), x,lXo, cheilos (lip). From the trifid apex or divided condition of the lip.

Semiphajus Gagnepain, in Bull. Mus. Nat. Hist. Natur., ser. 2, 4 (1932), 598. Cyrtopodieae. VI, IX. Lat. semi- (half), Phajus (a genus of orchids). Alluding to the number of pollinia which is half that of the genus Phajus.

Schizodium Lindley, Gen. and Sp. Orch. Pl. (1838), 358. Diseae. VII. Gr. uxl1m schizein (to split), ,roo, eidos (resemblance). Descriptive either of the bipartite column, which has the stigma and anthers separated, or of the bilobed petals.

Sepalosaccus Schlechter, in Fedde, Repert. Beih. 19 (1923), 244. Maxillarieae. II. Lat. sepalum (sepal), saccus (sac). From the lateral sepals which are sac-shaped and occluded at the base of the lip.

Schlechterella Hoehne, in Arqu. Bot. Est. Sao Paulo, n.s., forma mi'ior 2 . (1944), 12, in obs., 13 in clavi. Lycasteae. III. Dedicated to Dr. Rudolf Schlechter. (Vide Rudolfiella.)

Sepalosiphon Schlechter, in Fedde, Repert. Beih. 1 (1912), 316. Glomereae. IX. Lat. sepalum (sepal). Gr. u,
Schlimmia Planchon & Linden ex Lindley & Paxton, Flow. Gard. 3 (1852), il5. Gongoreae. III. In honor of Herr Louis Schlim, who collected the type species in 1850-51 in Colombia, where he collected orchids for his cousin M. Linden. '

Seraphyta Fischer & Meyer, in Bull. Sc-i. Acad. St. Petersb. 7 (1840), 24. Laelieae. II, III, IV. Gr. rnpa seira (rope),
Schoenleinia Klotzsch ex Lindley, Veg. Kingd. ({847), 182. Cranichit!,eae. I, II, III, IV. Origin unknown but possibly from a personal

Serapias Linnaeus, Sp. Pl. (1753), 949. Platanthereae. V, VI, VII. Egypt. Serapis (an Egyptian god). Dedicated indirectly to an Egyptian god in whose temple pilgrims engaged in licentious living. The name was applied by the Greeks to an orchid (probably Orchis mor-io) which was reputedly aphrodisiac, and from which Linnaeus undoubtedly took it for the genus in question.

Sch:::
Serapiastrum 0. Kuntze, Rev. Gen. Pl. 3 (1893), 141. Platanthereae. V, VI, VIL Serapias (an orchid genus), Lat. astrum (a kind of). Indicative of a relationship with Serapias (q.v.). · Serrastylis Rolfe, in Kew BuU. 1894 (1894), 158. Macradenieae. III. Lat. serra (saw). Gr. uruX,, stylis (column). Descriptive of the fimbriate-denticulate clinandrium. · Sertifera Lindley & Reichenbach fil., in Linnaea 41 (1876), 63. Sobralieae. III. Lat. sertum (wreath), -fera (bearing). Descriptive possibly of the sprawling habit of the whole plant which looks in nature like material from which wreaths or garlands could be made. Seslochilos Breda, in Kuhl & Hasselt, Orch. (1827), t. 3. Bulbophylleae. IX. Gr. u~O"v sethein (to sift or shake with a quivering

286

GENERIC NAMES OF ORCHIDS AND THEIR MEANING DICTIONARY LISTING OF ORCHID GENERA\

287

motion), x,,}.o, cheilos (lip). From the long and very narrowly unguiculate lip, the large blade of which quivers on the slender claw. Siagonanlhus Poeppig & Endlicher, Nov. Gen. ac Sp. 1 (1835), 40, t. 69. Maxillarieae. III. Gr. D"V siagon (jaw-bone), ~veo, anthos (flower). From the resemblance of the ringent or gaping flower, when seen from the side, to an open jaw. Sieberia Sprengel, Anleit. 2 (1817), 282. Satyrieae. V. Dedicated perhaps to Franz Wilhelm Sieber (1785-1844), native of Prague, who travelled widely and collected plants in many parts of the world and who published on the floras of Egypt, Crete, and Asia · Minor. Sievekingia Reichenbach fil., Beitr. Syst. Pf!. (1871), 3. . Gongoreae. II, III. CommEmorating Dr. Sieveking, a burgomaster of Hamburg, Germany. Sigmatochilus Rolfe, in J. Linn. Soc. 42 (1914), 155. Coelogyneae. IX. Gr. ul-yµa sigma (C-shaped, in Old Greek), (lip). From the saccate-naviculate lip.

x•
Sigmatogyne Pfitzer, in Engler, Pflanzenr. IV, 50 (1907), 133. Coelogyneae. IX. Gr. ul-yµa (u_,-yµaro-) sigma (C-shaped), -yvv~ gyne (pistil). Alluding to the C-shaped gymnostemium. Sigmatostalix Reichenbach fil., in Bot. Zeit. IO (1852), 769. Oncidieae. II, III. Gr. ul-yµa sigma (C-shaped), uro.A,!; stalix (stake). In allusion probably to the elongate, slender column which often is so arcuate that it assumes the shape of a C (old Greek form of sigma). Silvorchis J. J, Smith, in Bull. Dept. Agric. Indes Neerl. 13 (1907), 5. Platanthereae. IX. Lat. silva (forest), Gr. •PX" orchis (orchid). Descriptive of the usual habitat: in humus in thick forest. Sirhookera 0. Kuntze, Rev. Gen. Pl. 2 (1891), 681. ' Androrhizeae. VI. In compliment to the English botanist, Sir Joseph Dalton Hooker, F.L.S., F.R.S. (1817-1911), Director of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, from 1865 to 1885, traveller in India, Syria, Morocco and North America; author, in addition to many technical papers, of floristic works on Antarctica, India, and Morocco.

SELENIPEDIUM pa/n7Jfoliurn

Re1ch6fii PLATE S-7.

Smithorchis Tang & Wang, in Bull Fan Mem. Inst. Biol. Peiping, Bot. Ser. 7 (1936), 139. Platanthereae. VI. Smith (personal name), Gr. opx« orchis (orchid). "In honor of Professor (Sir) W(illiam) W(right) Smith (1875-1956), Regius Keeper of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Edinburgh, whose contributions to the study of plants from Yunnan and Tibet have immensely increased our knowledge of the Chinese flora." Sobennikoffia Schlechter, in Fedde, Repert. Beih. 33 (1925), 361. Sarcantheae-Angraecinae. VIII. In honor of Frau Rudolf Schlechter, whose maiden name was Sobenikoff.

290

GENERIC NAMES OF ORCHIDS AND THEIR MEANING DICTIONARY LISTING OF ORCHID GENERA

Sobralia Ruiz & Pavon, FI. Peruv. Prodr. (1794), 120, t. 26. Sobralieae. II, III. In honor of Dr. Francisco Sobral, a Spanish physician and botanist, friend and contemporary of the explorers Ruiz and Pavon.

'~

Sodiroella Schlechter, in Fedde, Repert. Beih. 8 (1921), 107. Telipogoneae. III. Dedicated to the Italian sci~ntist, Padre Aloysius flodiro, S.J. (1836~1909), lifetime student of the flora of.Ecuador, to which country_ he emigrated in 1870 to become Professor of Botany in the University of Quito; assiduous plant-collector (the orchids were sent to Cogniaux and to Schlechter) and author of numerous articles on the Piperaceae and Arateae; the Sodiro Herbarium is preserved in the Colegio de San Gabriel in Quito. Solenangis Schlechter, in Beih. Bot. Centralbl. 36 (1918), Abt. 2, 133. Sarcantheae-Aeranginae. VII, VIII. Gr. a-wXnv solen (pipe), &·no, angos (vessel). From the infundihuliform lip which, lacking a disk, consists entirely of a spur. Solenidium Lindley, Oreb. Linden. (1846), 15. Oncidieae. II?, III. Gr. uwXnv Diminutive of solen (box; pipe; tube). From the long, canaliculate claw of the lip. · Solenocentrum Schlechter, in Fedde, Repert. 9 (1911), 163. Cranichideae. II. Gr. a-wX~v solen (box; pipe),
"

PLATE S:.10. Sobralia panamensis Schltr.

291

------------------------------------------cc---=-~---:_

292

GENERIC NAMES OF ORCHIDS AND THEIR MEANING . DICTIONARY LISTING OF ORCHID GENERA

=•= SOLENOCENTRUM

,

costaricense

Sct.ftr.

.

.1

(l

293

8phyrastylis Schlechter, in Fedde, Repert. B~7 (1920), 194. . Ornithocephaleae. III. Gr. uq,Dpa sphyra (hammer), uruXl, stylis (column). Descriptive of the hammer-shaped swelling of the apex of the column. Spiculaea Liµdley, in Swan River App. (1839), 56. Pterostylideae. XI. Lat. spicula (ground pine?). Alluding possibly to the short spike-like inflorescence, like that of ground pine or Lycopodium.

s

Spiranthes L. C. Richard, in Mem. Mus. Paris 4 (1818), 50. Spirantheae. I, II, III, IV, V, VI, IX, X, XI. Gr. u,riipa speira (coil), Kv8os anthos (flower). From the twisted inflorescence in many species. Stanhopea Frost ex Hooker, in Bot. Mag. 56 (1829), tt. 2948, 2949. Gongoreae. II, III. Honoring the Right Honorable Philip Henry, 4th Earl Stanhope, F.R.S. (1791-1855), who was president of the London Medico· Botanical Society from 1829 to 1837. f:,tanhopeastrum Reichenbach fil., in Bot. Zeit. 10 (1952), 927. Gongoreae. II. Stanhopea (a genus of orchids), Lat. astrum (a kind of). Referring to a relationship with Stanhopea (q.v.). Staurites Reichenbach fil., in Hamb. Gartenz. 18 (1862), 34. Sarcantheae-Sarcochilinae. IX. Gr. uraupb, stauros (cross). Referring probably to the position of the divaricate lateral lobes of the lip at right angles to the midlobe and forming a cross. Staurochilus Ridley, in Mat. Fl. Malay Pen. (1907), 153. Sarcantheae-Saccolabiinae. IX. Gr. uraupbs stauros (cross), x,,Xo, cheilos (lip). In reference perhap to the two erect, close, parallel lateral lobes of the lip which may give the appearance of a cross. Stauroglottis Schauer, in Noll. Act. Nat. Cur. 19, Suppl. 1 (1843), 432. Sarcantheae-Sarcochilinae. IX. Gr. uraupbs stauros (cross), 'YAWrrls glottis (tongue). Alluding to the lip, which, with its lateral lobes, forms a cross. Stauropsis Reichenbach fil., in Hamb. Gartenz. 16 (1860), 117. Sarcantheae-Vandinae. VI, IX. Gr. uraupbs stauros (cross), 6,/;« apsis (appearance). Descriptive of the cross-shaped lip. Stelis Swartz, in Schrader, J. Bot. 2 (1799), 239. Pleurothallideae. II, III, IV. Gr. ur~Xl, stelis (little pillar). "Stelis, a Greek word, signifies the mistletoe which grows on a tree, which is the natnre of this genus." Stellilabium Schlechter, Die Orchideen (1914), 530. Telipogoneae. II, III. Lat. stella (star), labium (lip). Descriptive of tufted, hairy ornamentation on the lip. Stellorkis Thouars, in Nou1J. Bull. Soc. Philom. Paris 1 (1809), 317. Pogonieae. VIII. Lat. stella (star), Gr. 5px« orchis (orchid). Descriptive probably of the star-like position of the elongate perianth segments.

294

GENERIC NAMES OF ORCHIDS AND THEIR .MEANING DICTIONARY LISTING OF ORCHID GENERA

STANHOPEA 'J1/a. ;:-;, ;,- aeC)-;rJ. PLATE S-12. Spiranthes cernua (L.) L. C. Rich. PLATE S-13.

295

296

GENERIC NAMES OF ORCHIDS AND THEIR MEANING DICTIONARY LISTING OF ORt!D GENERA

297

Stenia Lindley, in Bot. Reg. 23 (1837), sub t, 1991. Huntleyeae; III. Gr. ,nevb, stenos (narrow). Suggestive of the characteristic long and· narrow pollinia of the genus. Stenocoryne Lindley, in '.Bot. Reg. 29 (1843), Misc. 53. Lycasteae. III. Gr. unvb, stenos (narrow), Kopuv~ koryne (club). Describing the long spur fonned by the column-foot, elongation of the base of the column and insertion of the lateral sepals. Stenoglossum Humboldt, Bonpland & Kunth, Nov. Gen. et Sp. 1 (1815), 355, t. 87. Laelieae. III. Gr. unvb, stenos (narrow), 7Xwuua glossa (tongue). Referring to the linear shape of the free part of the lip. Stenoglottis Lindley, in Hooker, Comp. Bot. Mag. 2 (1836), 209. Habenarieae. VII. Gr. unvb, stenos (narrow), 7 rel="nofollow">,wrrn glotta (tongue). In allusion possibly to the long and narrow laciniation of the lip. Stenopolen Rafinesque, Fl. Tellur. 4 (1836), 49. Huntleyeae. III. Gr. unvb, stenos (narrow), polen (?). Referring probably to the characteristic narrow pollinia, but name poorly compounded. Stenoptera Pres!, Rel. Haenk. 1 (1828), 95, t. 14. Cranichideae. II, III, IV. Gr. unvb, stenos (narrow), 7
STf..LlS 'Jsfa//,na c../[me.s PLATE S-14.

Stevenorchis Wankow & Kranzlin, in Fedde, Repert. Beik. 65 (1931), 45. Platanthereae. V, VI. Steven (personal name), Gr. 5px" orchis (orchid). In honor of Herr Christian von Steven (see Steveniella). Stichorkis Thouars, in Nouv. Bull. Soc. Philom. Paris 1 (1809), 318. Liparideae. VIII. Gr. ur,xo, stichos (row), 5px" orchis (orchid). Referring to the compressed and densely distichous inflorescence.

-----~----------~----~-

298

GENERIC NAMES OF ORCHIDS AND THEIR MEANING __ DICTIONARY LISTING OF ORCHl~ERA

PLATE .S-15.

PLATE S-16.

299

-

300

GENERIC NAMES OF ORCHIDS AND THEIR MEANING DICTIONARY LISTING OF ORCHID GENERA

Stigmatodactylus Maxim ex Makino, in Bot. Mag. Tokyo 1~ (1905), 68. Aciantheae. VI, IX. Gr. ,nl-yµa stigma (marking), iia
2

Sturmia Reichenbach fil., in Moessler Handb'. ed. 2, (1828), 1576. Uparideae. I, II, III, IV, V, VI, IX, X, XI. Commemorating a Herr Jakob Sturm; perhaps the outstanding German statesman and theologian of .that name who lived from 1489 to 1553. · Styloglossum Breda, in Kuhl & Hasselt, Orch. (1827), t. 10. Phajeae. IX. Gr. ,rruXo, stylos (pillar; colUJ)ln), -yXw"""' glossa (tongue). Alluding to the adnation of the lip to the cllumn.

301

Symphyosepalum Handel-Mazzetti, Symb. Sin. Pt. 7 (1936), 1327. Platanthlffeae. VI. Gr. ,rvµ
9.J

Synadena Rafinesque, Fl. Tellur. 4 (1836), Sarca:'theae-Sarcochilinae. IX. Gr. ,ruv sy (united) ao~v aden (gland) · Alludmg to the large, bifid gland at the ap x of the c~lumn. Synas~a Lindley, in Bot. Reg. 19 (1833), sub t. 1612. Spirantheae. III. Gr. """ syn (together) 1,.,,.,,.ov asson (nearer). From the agglutination of the petals and dorsal se~a]s. Synmeria N_immo, in J. Graham Cat. Pl. Bomb. Addend. (1839), p. sine num. Habe~~riea!· VI. G~; ouv syn (together), µ,pl, meris (part). From the "2 petals which are connate, with the supreme sepal forming a galea." Synoplectris Rafinesque, Fl. Tellur. 2 (1836), 89. Spirantheae. III. Gr. ,ruv syn (united), ,rX~KTpov plekt:ron (spur). From the tube-hke spur formed by the connivent lateral sepals. Synptera Llanos, Fragm. Filip. (1851), 98. Sarcantheae-Saccolabiinae. IX. Gr. """ syn (together) ,rup6v pteron (wing). From the gibbous base of the lateral sepals. ' Systeloglossum Schlechter, in Fedde, Repert. Beih. 19 (1923), 251. Ionopsideae. II: Gr.
Sulpitia Rafinesque, Fl. Tellur. 4 (1836), 37. Laelieae. III. Sulpicia (a Roman J?Oete_ss). ~..- rding to Rafinesque, 11amed for a nymph, but no nymph of this epithet known.

'

' Art. Stelis (18l6), nn. 11, 13. Sunipia Buchanan ex Smith, in Rees Cycl. 34, Bulbophylleae. VI. Apparently from a .vernacular n,rue ir!Nepal. _ Sutrina Lindley, in Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist. 10 (1842), 184. Ionopsideae. III. LaL sutrina (a cobbler's shop). Descriptive of the gland which "resembles a long bristle or cobbler's awl and which projects beyond the column extending as far as its long falcate arms." Sylvalismis Thouars, Orch. Iles Afr. (1822), t. 36. Phajeae. VII. l,at. silva {forest), Alisma (water plantain, a genus of Alismaceae). Descriptive probably of the two leaves which resemble those of Alisma. Symphyglossum Schlechter, in Orchis 12 (1918), 90.' Oncidieae. III. Gr; ,rvµ
Taeniophyllum Blume, Bijdr. (1825), 355, t. 70. Sarcantheae-Saccolabiinae. VI, IX. Gr. rnwla:tainia (fillet),
302

GENERIC NAMES OF ORCHIDS AND THEIR MEANING

DICTIONARY LISTING ~ H I D GENERA

narrow leaves with their usually elongated petioles, resembling somewhat a fillet or hair-ribbon, or possibly to the elevated keels horne longitudinally on the lip. Tainiopsis Schlechter, in Orchis 9 (1915), 9. Phajeae. IX. Tainia (a genus of orchids), -Gr. o,fm opsis (resemblance). Alluding to a relationship with Tainia (q.v.J:'

TEllPOCiOlv

Talpinaria Karsten; Fl. Columb. 1 (1858-61), 153, t. 76. Pleurothallideae. III. Lat. talpinus (mole-like). Alluding to "the shape of the lateral lobes of the lip" which, when viewed from the side, superficially resemble a mole in burrowing position. Tankervillia Link, Handb. 1 (1829), 251. Phajeae. VI. Taken from the specific epithet of the type, Bletia Tankervilliae, named in honor of Lady Tankerville. Tapeinoglossum Schlechter, in Fedde, Repert. Beih. 1 (1913), 892. Bulbophylleae. IX. Gr. ra,mvo, tapeinos (humble; modest), -yXwXo, telos (end), ,rw-ywv pogon (beard). Descriptive of the very pilose tip of the column. Tetragamestus Reichenbach fil., in Bonpl. 2 (1854), 21. Laelieae. II, III, IV. Gr. nTpa tetra (fourf~), -yaµ.o, gamos (marriage, i.e., the female part or stigma). In reference possibly to the square stigma. Tetramicra Lindley, Gen~ and Sp. Orch. Pl. (1831), 119. Laelieae. IV. Gr. nTpa tetra (fourfold), µi
PLATE

T-1.

303

YEUSCJ{ERl~· OO!f/J1JruJt:O)Plla

garay

DICTIONARY LISTING OF ORCHID GENERA

305

Thelychiton. Endlich er, Prodr. FL Nori. (1833~. Dendrobieae. XI. Gr. B~J\u, thelys (female), X""'' chiton (dress). In allusion probably to the column which surrounds the stigma like a dress. Thelymitra Forst, Char.' Gen. (1776), 97, t. 49. Thelymitreae. IX, X, XI. Gr. 8~)\u, thelys (female), µLrpa mitra (headband; hat). Referring undoubtedly to the sometimes plumed or decorated wings of the column, which is usually produced behind and over the anther into a hood-like appendage. Theodorea Barbosa-Rodrigues, Gen. et Sp. Orch. Nov. 1 (1877), 144. Oncidieae. III. In honor of Sr. Theodora Machado Freire Pereira da Silva, Minister of Public Works in Brazil, through whose assistance BarbosaRodrigues was able to discover several new plants. Thicuania Rafinesque, Fl. Tellur. 4 (1836), 47. Dendrobieae. IX. From a Burmese vernacular name, according to Rafinesque. Thiebautia Colla, Hort. Ripul. (1824), 139. Phajeae. II. Dedicated to Thiebaut de Berneaud, Perpetual Secretary of the Linnean Society of Paris. Thorvaldsenia Liebmann, in Bot. Notiser (1844), 103. Phajeae. II. In honor of the famous Danish sculptor, Bertel Thorvaldsen (1768-1844), native of Copenhagen and an innovator in neoclassic sculpture. Thrixspermum Loureiro, Fl. Cochinch. 2 (1790), 519. Sarcantheae-Sarcochilinae. VI, IX, X. Gr. Bpi~ thrix (hair), o,repµa sperm~ (seed). Descriptive of the hair-like seeds. Thunia Reichenbach fil., in Bot. Zeit. 10 (1852), 764. Sobralieae. VI, IX. In honor of Count van Thun Hohenstein of Tetschin, Bohemia. Thylacis Gagnepain, in Bull. Mus. Nat. Hist. Natur., ser. 2, 4 (1932), 599. Sarcantheae-Sarcochilinae. IX. Gr. 8u)\aKL, thylakis (sm3ll S3c). In reference to the bizarre, saccate lip. Thysanochilus Falconer, in Proc. Linn. Soc. 1 (1839), 14. Cyrtopodieae. VI. Gr. 8uoa,o, thysanos (tassel), x«J\o,. cheilos (lip). Descriptive of a fringed lip. Thysanoglossa Porto & Brade, in Anais Primeira Reuniiio Sul-Americ. Bot. 3, pt. 1 (1940). 42. Ornithocephaleae. III. Gr. 8uoa,o, thysanos (tassel), -y)\wooa glossa (tongue). From the lacerate-fimbriate margin of the lateral lobes of the lip. Tinea Bivona, in Giorn. Sci. Sicil. (1833), 149. Habenarieae. V. Dedicated to V. Tineo, Professor of Bot,,ny in Palermo, who published on Sicilian plants in 1817.

PLATE 'f-2.

304

306

\

GENERIC NAMES OF ORCHIDS AND 1'HEIR MEANING

307

DICTIONARY LIS1'ING OF ORCHID GENERA

Tipularia Nuttal, Gen. N. Am. Pl. 2 (1818), 195. Cyrtopodieae. I, VI. Lat. tippula (water spider; crane fly). In allusion to the

very long, slender and irregular spur on the lip, giving the whole flower a fancied resemblance to a water spider or crane fly. Titania Endlicher, Prodr. FI. Norf. (1838), 31. , Liparideae. XI. Named for Titania, wife of' Oberon, king of the elves, because this genus is closely related to Oberonia.

t\,12r

1/J

Todaroa A. Richard & Galeotti, in Ann. Sci. Nat., ser. 3, 3 (1845), 28. Sarcantheae-Angraecinae. IL Named apparently in honor of a Mexican

colleague or friend whose identity remains unknown.

I I

Tolumnia Rafinesque, Fl. Tellur. 2 (1836), 101. Oncidieae. III. According to Rafinesque, named for a nymph, but no nymph

of this epithet is known. Named probably for Tolumnius, a Rutulian mentioned by Virgil.

3

Tomotris Rafinesque, Fl. Tellur. 2 (1836), 89. Tropidieae. IV. Gr. ,bµos tomos (cutting). Referring possibly to the shortened

or abbreviated lateral branching bearing a corymbose inflorescence. Townsonia Cheeseman, Man. N. Zeal. FJ: (190,6), 691. , Aciantheae. XI. Dedicated to the Mr. W. Townson of Westport, New

Zealand, discoverer of .the type material and student of the botany of South Island.

. 4

Trachelosiphon Schlechter, in Beik. Bot. Central,bl. 31 (1920), Abt._ 2, 423. Spirantheae. III, IV. Gr. ,pa.x~Aos trachelos (neck), o-lcf>wv siphon (tube).

i'i

Referring to the sepals which are basally connate into a collar or tube.

11•.

Traunsteinera Reichenbach, Flor. Saxon (1842), 'Bfl. Platanthereae. V, VI. Honoring Herr Josef Traunsteiner, an apothecary and

1 .n

i!I I!, 1:

botanist in the Tyrol, Austria.

:/

Trevoria Lehmann, in Gard. Chron., ser. 3, 21 (1897'; 345. ,, Gongoreae. III. In honor of the English or~dislf, Sir Tre':'or Lawrence

',,

7

(1831-1913), president of the Royal Horticultural Society ofJ,ondon.

.

Trias Lindley, in Wallich, Cat. (1829), no. 1977. / Bulbophylleae. IX. Gr. ,p,6., trias (three). Descriptive of· the rather tri-

angular shape of the open flower. Trihrachia Lindley, in Bot. Reg. 10 (1824), sub t. 832. Bulbophylleae. VI. Gr. ,pl{3paxvs tribrachus (of 3·short syllables). Referring

to the 3 sepals which are adnate to the clawed lip.

6

i

l

'

I

Triceratorhynchus Summerhayes, in Bot Mus. Leaf/,. Harvard Univ. 14 (1951),

232. Sarcantheae-Aeranginae. VII. Gr. ,p,- tri- (three), Klpas keras (horn), pu-yxos rhynchos (snout). Descriptive of the rostellum which "on removal of the two elongated viscidia . . . is left trifurcate in both directions," producing in general effect "a trident-like or 3-horned structure in both directions."

f

PLATE 'l'-3. Tipularia. discolor (Pursh) Nutt.

~------------------------·

308

GENERIC NAMES OF ORCHIDS AND THEIR MEMIING

Trichocentrum Poeppig & Endlicher, Nov. Gen. ac Sp. 2 (1838), 11, t. 115. Ionopsideae. II, III. Gr. Opl<, rp,xo-thrix, tricho- (hair), K
DICTIONARY LISTING OF ORCHID GENERA

Trichoceros Humboldt, Bonpland & Kunth, Noy. Gen. et Sp. 1 (1815), 337, t. 76. · Telipogoneae. III. Gr. Opl<, rp,xo- thrix, tricho- (hair), «<pas keras (horn). Descriptive of the hairy antenniform processes on each side of the column. Tricochilus Ames, in J. Arnold. Arb. 13 (1932), 142. Cymbidieae. IX. Gr. Opl<, rp,xo- thrix, tricho- (hair), x,,Xos cheilos (lip). Referring to the more or less pilose mid-lobe of the lip. Trichoglottis Blume, Bijdr. (1825), 359. Sarcantheae-Saccolabiinae. VI, IX. Gr. Oplf, rp,xo- thrix, tricho- (hair), -yXwrrn glotta (tongue). Alluding probably to the pubescent lip in_ the type species. Trichopilia Lindley, Introd. Nat. Syst., ed. 2 (1836), 446. . Oncidieae. II, III, IV. Gr. Oplf, rp,xo- thrix, tricho- (hair), w,Xo, pilos (felt). From the ciliate or fimbriate margin of the clinandrium. Trichosia Blume, Bijdr. Tabellen (1825), t. 11. _; Dendrobieae. IX. Gr. rplxwrn trichosis (growth of hair). From the hairy exterior of the perianth parts . . Trichosma Lindley, in Walpers, Ann. Bot. 6 (1861), 272. Dendrobieae. IX. Gr. Oplf, rp,xo- thrix, tricho- (hair). From the fringed lamellae on the lip.

,J

. .

. Trichotosia Blume, Bijdr_, (1825), 3_42. Dendrobieae. IX. Gr. rp,xwr6drichotos (harry). From the hairy mdumentum common in the genus.

. Tridactyle Schlechter, Die Orchideen (1914), 601. JI Sarcantheae-Aeranginae. VII. Gr. rw tri- (thrt[ thrice), oaKTiilos daktylos (finger). Descriptive of the three-lobed lip. ,I iJ Trigonidium Lindley, in Bot. Reg. 23 (1837), t. 1923. Maxillarieae. II, ·III. Gr. Diminutive of rpl-ywvos trigonos _(three-cornered). ". . . in allusion to the triangular form of several parts: the sepals form a 3-comered cup; the gland on which the pollen masses rest is an obtuseangled triangle; and the stigma is a triangular excavation." Triorcbis Agosti, Tract. (1770), 234. Platanthereae. I. Gr. rp,, tri- (threefold), tpx" orchis (orchid). From· the three-parted or dactyliform tubers.

•

Triorchos Small & Nash, Fl. Southeast U.S. (1903), 329, 1329. Cyrtopodieae. I, IV. Gr. rplopxos triorchos (buzzard; kite). "In reference to _the lip."

PLATE

T-4 .

309

• 310

GENERIC NAMES OF ORCHIDS AND THEIR MEANING

TRICHOPILIA t'eucoxantha L pj!zm

TRIGONIDIUM GRANDE Garay PLATE

T-5.

PLATE

311

T-6,

~---------------------------~---

312

GENERIC NAMES OF ORCHIDS AND THEIR MEANING

313

DICTIONARY- LISTING OF ORCHID GENERA

Triphora Nuttal, Gen. N. Am. PL 2 (1818), 192. Vanilleae. I, II, III, IV. Gr. Tp,- tri- (threefold), q,apo, phoros (bearing). Referring possibly to the small number of flowers usually borne on the ir,florescence, or possibly to the usual number of crests on the lip. Tripleura Lindley, in Bot. Reg. 19 (1833), sub t. 1618. _ · Erythrodeae. VI, IX. Gr. Tp,- tri- (threefold), 1riiwpb. pleura (rib). From the 3 projecting, long-attenuate, keeled sepals. Triplorhiza Ehrhart,-Beitr. 4 (1789), 149. Platanthereae. V. Gr. Tp<1r,aD, tripl-ous (threefold); /,l 1 a rhiza (root). From the digitate tuber.

l

Tritelandra Rafinesque, FL Tellur. 2 (1836), 85. Laelieae. IV, Gr. Tp<- tri- (threefold), T
6

Id

Tsaiorchis Tang & Wang, in Bull. Fan Mem. Bi1il. Peipin(I, Bot. Ser. 7 i/ (1936), 131. Platanthereae. VI. Dedicated to H. T. Tsai, contempefrary botanist and collector of the .Fan Memorial Institute of Biology in Peiping, who has worked chiefly in the flora of Yunnan. Tuberolabium Yamamoto, in Bot. Mag. Tokyo 38 (1924), 209. Sarcantheae-Saccolabiinae. IX. Lat. tuber (tuber), labium (lip). Descriptive of the lip, which is swollen and has the aJJpearance of a tuber. Tubilabium J. J. Smith, in Bull. Jard. Bot. Buit., ser. 3, 9 (1928), 446. Erythrodeae. IX. Lat. tubus (pipe), labium (lip). Alluding to the incurved margins of the lip which form a long, recurved tube, Tulexis Rafinesque, Fl. Tellur. 4 (1836), 42. Laelieae. III. Gr. Tv,a, tylos (wart). Referring to the warty appearance of the exterior surface of the petals and sepals.

1

8

PLATE T-7. T1·ipho1·a t1·ianthophora (S\.V.) Rydb.

,-,---------------------~~~~----------

... 314

GENERIC NAMES OF ORCHIDS:.AND: THEIR MEAN.ING DICTIONARY LISTING OF ORCHID GENERA

(j .

.

.

,__

~ Paii,n,a.

J

1

~·

1

j.

181'.

PLATE

T-8. Tri.zeuxis falcata Lindl. ' PLATE T-9. T'l'·opidia polystachya. (Sw.) Ames.

315

---------------~-~---~--~~~----------~---

316

GENERIC NAMES OF ORCHIDS AND THEIR MEANING ·--.

Tulotis Rafinesque, Herb. Raf. (1833), 71. Platanthereae. I. Gr. ruAo, tylos (wart). Referring probably to the lip which bears "above a callose gland for nectary." Tussaca Rafinesque, Herb. Raf. (1833), 76. Erythrodeae. I. Dedicated to the French botanist, G. Richard de Tussac, author of Flora Antillarum (1808-1827). ' ' Tylochilus Nees, in Verh. Gartenb. Ges. Berlin 8 (1832), 194, t. 3. Cyrtopodieae. III. Gr. ruAo, tylos (wart), x,,Ao, cheilos (lip). Describing the warty condition of the lip. Tylostigma Schlechter, in Beih. Bot. Central,bl. 34 (1916), Abt. 2, 297. Habenarieae. VIII. Gr. r&Ao, tylos (knob),
Ulantha Hooker, in Bot. Mag. 57 (1830), sub t. 2990. Oncidieae. IV. Gr: obAo, oulos (crisped), &vOo, anthos (flower). According to Hooker, in reference to the sinuate--crispate flo parts.

1ji

Uleiorchis Hoehne, in Arqu. Bot. Est. Siio Paulo, n.s., forma maior 1, fasc. 6 (1944), 129. Gastrodieae. III. In commemoration of the _Ge!Jhan botanist, explorer' of the Amazon, Dr. Ernest Ule, who collected t1i'J!"'typf material of this genus.

i _

·· Uncifera Lindley, in J. Linn. Soc. 3 (1859), 39. Sarcantheae-Saccolabiinae. IX. Lat. uncus (hook), -fer ~aring). Suggesting the retrorse, hook-like spur on the lip.

Uropedium Lindley, Oreb. Linden. (1846), 28. Cypripediloideae. III. Gr. o&pa oura (tail), -pedium (part of the epithet Cypripedium, from which genus Uropedium was split). Referring to the long, tail-like shape of the lip of the_pel\lric form which is the type of the genus,

DICTIONARY LISTING OF ORCHID GENERA

317

Vanda Jones, in Asiatic Researches 4 (1795), 302. ~ Sarcantheae- Vandinae. VI, IX. From a Sanskrit ord referring to Vanda Roxburghii of Bengal and India or for other orchid of like habit, as well as for certain. parasitic Loranthaceae. Vandopsis Pfitzer, in Engler & Prantl, Nattirl. Pflanzenfam. 2, 6 (1888-1889), 210. Sarcantheae-Vandinae. IX. Vanda (a genus of orchids), Gr. 5,J," opsis (resemblance). Implying a resemblance to Vanda (q.v.). Vanilla Swartz, in Nov. Act. Soc. Sci. Upsal. 6 (1799), 66, t. 5. Vanilleae. II, III, IV, VII, VIII, IX. Span. vainilla (little pod). In reference to the Jong, slender, pod-like fruit. Vanillophorum Necker, Elem. Bot. 3 (1790). Vanilleae. II, III, IV, VII, VIII, IX. Span. vainilla (little pod). Gr.
... 318

GENERIC NAMES OF ORCHIDS AND .THEIR MEANING . DICTIONARY L !STING OF ORCHID GENERA

"'''"'"' VANDA

insignis13l.

319

----------------~-------------.-

320

GENERIC NAMES OF ORCHIDS AND THEij\ MEANING DICTIONARY LISTING OF ORCHID GENERA

321

Wailesia Lindley, in J. Hort. Soc. 4 (1849), 261. Cymbidieae. IX. Dedicated to "George Wailes, Esq., of Newcastle-on-Tyne, a gentleman who has for many years occupied himself with the cultivation and scientific study qf Orchids, and to whom such a compliment has been long due from botanists."

VARGASIELLA /

_peruY1tana

Waluewa Regel, in Gartenfi. 40 (1891), 89, t. 1341. Oncidieae. III. Honoring the German statesman, Graf P. A. Walujew who, when Minister of Crown Lands, employed Regel as Director of the Royal Botanic Gardens in Berlin.

/

C,,Scliwe11,~

Warmingia Reichenbach fil., Otia Bot. Hamb. 2 (1881), 87. Macradenieae. III. In honor of the Danish botanist and explorer, Prof. Eugene Warming, M.L.S. (1841-1924), student of the vegetation of tropical South America and the Arctic f_lora in Greenland and Norway, morphologist, anatomist, plant geographer and ecologist. Warrea Lindley, in Bot. Reg. 29 (1843), Misc. p. 14. Cyrtopodieae. III. In honor of Frederick Warre, Esq., "who collected it himself in Brazil and sent it to us with many others of this favorite class, in 1829." Warreella Schlechter, Die Orchideen (1914), 424. Zygopetaleae. III. Diminutive of Warrea (a genus of orchids). Implying a resemblance to Warrea (q.v.). Warscewiczella Reichenbach fil., in Bot. Zeit. 10 (1852), 635. Huntleyeae. II, III, IV. In honor of the German-trained Polish botanist, Dr. Josef Warscewicz (1812-1866) who collected plants in St. Thomas in 1845 and in Middle and South America from 1848 to 1853 and returned to Europe to the post of Insi:ector of the Botanic Garden in Krakow.

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PLATE V~3.

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1

Wullschlaegelia Reichenbach fil., in Bot. Zeit. 21 (1863), 131. Cranichideae. II, III, IV. In commemoration of Herr Wullschlaegel, an assiduous collector of plants in Jamaica and elsewhere in the nineteenth century.

Xaritonia Rafinesque, Fl. Tellur. 4 (1836), 9. Oncidieae. IV. According to Rafinesque, dedicated to a nymph, but there is no nymph known by this name. Xeilyathum Rafiuesque, Fl. Tellur. 2 (1836), 62. Oncidieae. IV. Gr. xm,o, cheilos (lip). Stated by Rafinesque to mean "fiddle-

/ 322

GENERIC NAMES OF ORCHIDS AND THEIR MEA))/ING DICTIONARY LISTING OF ORCHID GENERA

323

lip" (and the type species does have a pandurate lip), but it is impossible to decipher what Greek source(s) he used. Xerorchis Schlechter, in Fedde, Repert. 11 (1912), 44. Sobralieae. III. Gr. ~~pbs xeros (dry), Spxts orchis (orchid). Referring to the xerophytic habitat. Xiphizusa Reichenbach fil., in Bot. Zeit. 10 (1852), 919. Bulbophylleae. III. Gr. ~«f,il;Hv xiphizmn (to dance with arms extended as if holding a sword). In reference probably to the movable lip. Xiphophyllum Ehrhart, Beitr. 4 (1789), 148. Cephalanthereae. V, VI. Gr. l;l
l ,I

Yoania Maximowicz, in Bull. Acad. Sci. St. Petersb., ser. 3, 18 (1873), 68. Calypsoeae. VI. Dedicated to the Japanese botanist and physician, Dr. Wudogawa Y oan, expert botanical artist who sent many of his drawings to the Siebold Herbarium, St. Petersburg. Yolanda Hoehne, in Arch. Mus. Nae. Bras. 22 (1919), 72. Pleurothallideae. III. Dedicated to Yolanda, daughter of the late Prof. F. C. Hoehne, a Brazilian botanist. Ypsilopus Summerhayes in Kew Bull. 1949 (1949), 439. Sarcantheae-Aeranginae. VII. Gr. v ,t,,Mv ypsilon (letter Y), ,rovs pous (foot). Referring to the diverging or Y-shaped arms at the apex of the stipe of the pollen masses. PLATE W-1. Wullschlaegelia aphylla (Sw.) Rchb. f.

324

GENERIC NAMES OF ORCHIDS AND THEIR MEANING DIC'fIONARY .LISTIN

_-

OF ORCHID GENERA

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PLATE X-1.

PLATE Z-1.

325

326

GENEJUC NAMES OF ORCHIDS AND THEIR MEANIKG DICTIONARY LISTING OF ORCHID GENERA

327

Zetagyne Ridley, in J. Nat. Hist. Soc. Siam 4 (1921), 118. Coelogyneae. IX. Gr. fijrn zeta (Letter Z), 7uv~ gyne (pistil). Alluding to the column which is bent in a somewhat sigmoid curve. Zeuxine Lindley, Coll. Bot. App. (1825). Erythrodeae. VI, VII., VIII, I ~ , XI. Gr. ''""" zeuxis (yoking). Referring to the partial union of the lip an column and possibly also to the growing together of the pollinia. Zoophora Bernhardi, Syst. Verz. Erl. (1800), 308. Platanthereae. V. Gr. (0ov zoon (animal), <{,epeiv pherein (to bear). Significance of this name unknown. Zosterostylis Blume, Bijdr. (1825), 418, t. 32. Cryptostylideae. IX. Gr. (wuT~P zoster (girdle), uruAos stylos (column). In allusion to the callused margin .of the clinandrium. Zygoglossum Reinwardt, Syll. Ratisb. 2 (1828), 4. Bulbophylleae. IX. Gr. l;u76v zygon (balance), 7"1.wuua glossa (tongue). In allusion to the lip which is versatile and may be likened to the beam of a balance. Zygopetalum Hooker, in Bot. Mag. 54 (1827), t. 2748. Zygopetaleae. II, III. Gr. l;u76v zygon (yoke), ,rhai.ov petalon (petal; sepal). From the thickened callus at the base of the lip which lends an appearance of pulling together or yoking the floral segments. Zygosepalum Reichenbach fil., in Walpers, Ann. Bot. 6 (1863), 665. Zygopetaleae. III. Gr. l;u76v zygon (yoke), Lat. sepalum (sepal). In reference to the sepals which are basally connate. Zygostates Lindley, in Bot. Reg. 23 (1837), sub t. 1927. Ornithocephaleae. II, III. Gr. tu7ourar~s zygostates (weigher; balance). In reference to the well-developed staminodes at the base of the column which resemble a balance.

PLATE

Z-2.

NATURAL AND AR!!FJQlAUORCHID HYBRIDS

ORCH][D HYBR][DS,

Brassolaeliocattl•ya

NATURAL AND ART][F][C][AL

Braf]sotonia

Burrageara

Names of orchids of hybrid origin, both natural and artificial, have been excluded from the foregoing list. Nevertheless, they are of primary interest to workers in horticultural circles and to the amateur orchidophile. It ·has, consequently, been thought advisable ta· append this list of "generic" names of hybrids with the parentage, for purposes of cross reference. The origin of the majority of the hybrid names is obvious, since they are formed from parts of existing generic names which have been covered in the ma,in section of thjs book. There are some, however, of multigeneric parentage, and these are usually named either for the person who made the hybrid .or for well known. horticulturists. Adaglossum Adioda Aeridachnis Aeridolabium Aeridopsis Aeridovanda Arachnogkittis Arachnopsis Aranda Aranth era Ascocenda Ascofinetia A nacamptiplatanthera Anacamptorchis A ngulocaste Anoectomaria Aspasium Beaumontara Brapasia Brassidium Brassocattleya Brassodiacrium Brassoepidendrum Brassolaelia

Ada X Oddntoglossum Ada X Cochlioda Aerides X Arachnis Aerides X Saccolabium Aerides X Phalaenopsis Aerides X Vanda Arachnis X 1)fohoglottis Arachnis X l'halaenopsis Arachnis X Vanda Arachnis X~llnthera Vanda Ascocentruin N eofinetia . AscScentrum , Anacamptis X Platanl}z,ra iJ Anacamptis X Orchi£ A nguloa X liycaste A noectochilum X H aemaria Aspasia X Oncidium Brassavola X Laelia X Cattleya X ScMmburgkia Aspasia.•X Brassia Brassia X Oncidium Brassavola X Cattleya Brassavola X Dia~rium Brassavola X Epidendrum Brassavola X Laelia 328

Cattleytonia Cephalopactis Charleswortheara Chondrobollea Chondropetalum Colmanara

.;

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Cycnodes Dekensara Dendrocattleya Diabroughtonia Diacattleya Dialaelia Dialaeliocattleya Doritaenopsis Dossinimaria Epicattleya Epidiacrium Epigoa Epilaelia Epilaeliopsis Epiphronitis Epitonia Gastrocalanthe Gastrophaius Gymnacamptis Gymnaglossum Gymnaplatanthera Gymnigritella Hawaiiara Iwanagara Kirchara Laelonia Laeliocattleya Leptolaelia Leucadenia Leucotella Lia apsis

Brassavola X Laelia X Cattleya Brassavola X Broughtonia Cochlioda X M iltonia X Odontoglossum X Oncidium Cattleya X Broughtonia Cephalanthera X Epipactis Cochlioda X M iltonia X Oncidium Chondrorhyncha X Bollea Chondrorhyncha X Zygopetalum. M iltonia X Odontoglossum X Oncidium Cycnoches X M ormodes Brassavola X Cattleya X Schomburgkia Dendrobium X Cattleya Diacrium X Broughtonia Diacrium X Cattleya Diacrium X Laelia Diacrium X Laelia X Cattleya Doritis X Phalaenopsis Dossinia X H aemaria Epidendrum X Cattleya Epidendrum X Diacrium Epidendrum X Domingoa Epidendrum X Laelia Epidendrum X Laeliopsis Epidendrum X Sophronitis Epidendrum X Broughtonia Gastrorchis X Calanthe Gastrorchis X Phaius Gymnadenia X Anacamptis Gymnadenia X Coeloglossum Gymnadenia X Platanthera Gymnadenia X Nigritella Renanthera X Vandopsis X Vanda Diacrium X Cattleya X Brassavola X Laelia Epidendrum X Sophronitis X Laelia X Cattleya Laelia X Broughtonia Laelia X Cattleya Leptotes X Laelia Leucorchis X Gymnadenia. Leucorchis X Nigritella Laelia X Laeliopsis

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330

GENERIC - NAMES OF ORCHIDS AND THEIR MEANINL

Lioponia Limara • Lowiara Luisanda Lycasteria Lyonaria Macomaria Milpasia Milpilia Miltassia Miltonidium Miltonioda Nigrorchis Odontocidium Odontonia Odontioda Oncidioda Opsisanda Opsisanthe Orchiaceras Orchicoeloglossum Orchigymnadenia Orchiplatanthera Orchiserapias Papilionanda P escarhyncha Pescatobollea Phaiocal,anthe Phaiocymbidium Phalandopsis Potinaria Renades Renanda Renanopsis Renantanda Renanthopsis Reranstylis Rhynchovanda Rodrassia Rodrettia Rodricidium Rodritonia Rolfeara

Laeliopsis X Broughtonia Renanthera X Vandopsis X Arachnis Brassavola X Laelia X Schomburgkia Luisia X Vanda Lycaste X Bif:renaria Laelia X Cattl&ya X Schomburgkia Macodes X Haemaria M iltonia X Aspasia M iltonia X Trichopilia M iltonia X Brassia Miltonia X Oncidium M iltonia X Cochlioda Nigritella X Orchis Odontoglossum X Oncidium Odontoglossum X M iltonia Odontoglossum X Cochlioda Oncidium X Cochlioda Vanda X Vandopsis -Vandopsis X Euanthe Orchis X A~eras Orchis X Coeloglossum Orchis X Gymnadenia Orchis X Plantanthera Orchis X Serapias P0,pilionanthe X Vanda Pescatorea X C)wndrorhyncha Pescatorea X ~ollea Phaius X Cal,anthe Phaius X C~mb · ium Phal,aenopsis andopsis Cattfeya X La~lia X Brassavola Sophronitis H Renanthera X Aeride Renanthera X Arachnis X Vanda Renanthera X Vandopsis Renanthera X Vanda Renanthera X Phalaenopsis Renanthera X Rhynchostylis Rhynchostylis X Vanda Rodriguezia X Brassia Rodriguezia X Comparettia Rodriguezia X Oncidium Rodriguezia X M iltonia Brassavola X Cattleya X Sophronitis

1

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NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL ORCHID HYBRIDS

Sacca nth era Saccovanda Sanderara Sarcothera S chombocattleya Schomboepidendrum Schombolaelia Selenocypripedium Serapicamptis S ophrocattleya Sophrolaelia Sophrolaeliocattleya Tanakara Trichocidium Trichovanda Vancampe Vandachnis Vandaecum Vandaenopsis Vandanthe Vandofinetia Vandopsides V uylstekeara Wilsonara Yamadara Zygobatemannia Zygocaste Zygocolax Zygonisia

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Renanthera X Saccolabium Saccolabium X Vanda Brassia X Cochlioda X Odontoglossum Sarcochilus X Renanthera Schomburgkia X Cattleya Schomburgkia X Epidendrum Schomburgkia X Laelia Selenopodium X Cypripedium Serapias X Anacamptis Sophronitis X Cattleya S ophronitis X Laelia Sophronitis X Laelia X Cattleya Aerides X Vanda X Phalaenopsis _ Trichocentrum X Oncidium Trichoglottis X Vanda Vanda X Acampe Vandopsis X Arachnis Vanda X Angraecum Vanda X Phalaenopsis Euanthe X Vanda Vanda X N eofinetia Vandopsis X Aerides Cochlioda X M iltonia X Odontoglossum Cochlioda X Odontoglossum X Oncidium Brassavola X Laelia X Cattleya X Epidendrum Zygopetalum X Batemannia Zygopetalum X Lycaste Zygopetalum X Colax Zygopetalum X Aganisia

331