Sunipia
| Rat-tail orchids | |
|---|---|
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| Bulbophyllum echinolabium | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Monocots |
| Order: | Asparagales |
| Family: | Orchidaceae |
| Subfamily: | Epidendroideae |
| Tribe: | Podochileae |
| Subtribe: | Bulbophyllinae |
| Genus: |
Bulbophyllum Thouars, 1822 |
| Species | |
| Diversity | |
| 1805 species | |
| Synonyms | |
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List of synonyms
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See List of Bulbophyllum species
Bulbophyllum is the largest genus in the orchid family Orchidaceae. With more than 2,000 species, it is also one of the largest genera of flowering plants, exceeded only by Astragalus. This genus is abbreviated in the trade journals as Bulb. It is found throughout most of the warmer parts of the world: Africa, southern Asia, Latin America, the West Indies, and various islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans.
This genus was first described by Louis-Marie Aubert du Petit-Thouars (botanical abbreviation Thouars) in his book Histoire particulière des plantes orchidées recueillies sur les trois Iles Australes d’Afrique, de France, de Bourbon et de Madagascar, describing 17 Bulbophyllum species. There are now more than 2,800 records (accepted names and synonyms) for this genus. This large number and the great variety of its forms make the genus a considerable challenge for taxonomists: 120 sections and subgenera have been listed. The scientific name has been derived from the Latin word bulbus (bulb-like) and the Greek word phyllon (leaf), referring to the pseudobulbs on top of which the leaf grows.
The center of diversity of this genus is in the montane forests of Papua New Guinea (more than 600 species) which seems to be the evolutionary homeland, though the genus is pantropical and widespread, occurring in Australia, Southeast Asia (with over 200 species in Borneo), India, Madagascar (with 135 species, some endemic), Africa and in tropical central and South America.
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Wikipedia