Acianthus
| Acianthus | |
|---|---|
 |
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| A. fornicatus growing near Chatswood, New South Wales | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Monocots |
| Order: | Asparagales |
| Family: | Orchidaceae |
| Subfamily: | Orchidoideae |
| Tribe: | Diurideae |
| Subtribe: | Acianthinae |
| Genus: |
Acianthus R.Br., 1810 |
| Species | |
|
See text. |
|
See text.
Acianthus, commonly known as mosquito orchids, is a genus of about 25 species of plants in the orchid family, Orchidaceae. Mosquito orchids are terrestrial herbs with a single, heart-shaped, usually ground-hugging leaf and one to many small, green, pinkish or purplish flowers on a fleshy stalk. They are found in New Caledonia, Australia and New Zealand.
Orchids in the genus Acianthus are terrestrial, perennial, deciduous, sympodial herbs with a single egg-shaped, heart-shaped or lobed leaf at the base. They have small, roughly spherical, underground tubers from which the flower stems arise. Lacking true roots, they have root-like stolons which develop "daughter" tubers at their ends. These orchids spend the dry, summer months dormant until, following late summer or autum rains, the leaf appears. The leaf is , sometimes ground-hugging, more usually held above the ground and is often purplish-red on the lower surface. Sometimes the leaves of plants with flowers are different from those lacking them. The leaves of all Australian species are very similar, making them hard to identify to species level in the absence of flowers.
Flowers appear in the cooler months, usually in autumn, winter or spring, There are one to many resupinate small, green, pinkish or purplish flowers 4 to 5 mm (0.16 to 0.20 in) in diameter. The flowers are held on an upright, narrow but fleshy stalk, blend in with their surrounding and often resemble mosquitoes. The sepals are longer than the petals and usually have a long, thin extension on their end. The sepal is broader than the ones and sometimes forms a hood over the column. The sepals project forward beneath the labellum and the petals spread widely or curve backwards against the ovary. The labellum is heart-shaped and has a prominent callus. The fruit is a thin-walled, glabrous capsule, containing a large number of winged seeds.
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Wikipedia