Stelis
Leach orchid | |
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Silvery stelis (Stelis argentata) | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Monocots |
Order: | Asparagales |
Family: | Orchidaceae |
Subfamily: | Epidendroideae |
Tribe: | Epidendreae |
Subtribe: | Pleurothallidinae |
Genus: | Stelis Sw., 1799 |
Synonyms[1] | |
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Stelis, or leach orchids, is a large
Many of the older species were named by Lindley, Ruiz & Pavon and Reichenbach, while many of the recent species were named by Carlyle A. Luer. An orchid of the genus Stelis was probably the first American orchid ever to be brought to Europe. An herbarium specimen was depicted in 1591 in Tabernaemontanus' herbal book.
Description
A single oblanceolate leaf develops from narrow, leathery outgrowths from a creeping stem.[3]
Most species grow long, dense racemes of small to minute flower in diverse shades of white. Other colors are rare. These flowers are photosensitive, only opening in the sunlight. Some close completely at night.
The three symmetrically rounded sepals generally form a triangle with a small central structure, made up of the column, small petals and small lip, though slight variation to this theme does occur.
This genus is not common in cultivation.
Taxonomy
They are closely related to the massive genus
History
The genus Stelis was discovered with
Afterwards, on the “Expedición Botánica Española” (Spanish Botanic Expedition) sent by King Carlos III to study the flora of Peru and Chile, Hipolito Ruiz and Joseph Pavon complete results established 11 small plants of a new genus which they named Humboltia in honor of the renowned German explorer and naturalist Alexander Von Humboldt. In 1799, Olof Swartz, a Swedish botanist, studied the genus proposed by Ruiz and Pavon and found that it had been already used by Vahl to designate a Leguminosae. Because of this, he proposed the name Stelis in replacement of Humboltia. The species Epidendrum ophioglossoides was later moved to the genus Stelis by Swarz, and it is now the type species of the genus.[4]
Species
Select species of Stelis include:
- Stelis alata Lindl. – winged stelis
- Stelis argentata Lindl. – silvery stelis
- Stelis aviceps Lindl. – bird head stelis
- Stelis barbata Rolfe – bearded stelis
- Stelis bidentata Schltr – two-toothed stelis
- Stelis ciliaris Lindl. – hairy stelis
- Stelis crescentiicola Schltr – Crescentia living stelis
- Stelis dalstroemii Luer
- Stelis flexuosa – flexuous stelis
- Stelis gemma – gem stelis
- Stelis glomerosa – ball stelis
- Stelis guatemalensis – Guatemalan stelis
- Stelis intermedia Poepp. & Endl. – in-between stelis
- Stelis leinigii – Leinig's stelis
- Stelis megantha – giant anther stelis
- Stelis palmeiraensis – Palmeira stelis
- Stelis pauciflora Lindl.
- Stelis papaquerensis Rchb.f.
- Stelis perpusilliflora – West Indian leach orchid
- Stelis porschiana – Porsch's stelis
- Stelis purpurea – purple stelis
- Stelis pygmaea – pygmy leach orchid
- Stelis triangulisepala – triangular sepal stelis
References
- ^ a b Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
- ^ "Alphabetical list of standard abbreviations of all generic names occurring in current use in orchid hybrid registration as at 31st December 2007" (PDF). Royal Horticultural Society.
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2020-09-15. Retrieved 2020-02-12.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ ISBN 978-9587141078.
- Dr. C. Luer - Icones Pleurothallidinarum XXIV: A first century of new species of Stelis of Ecuador. Part 1 (2002); ISBN 1-930723-15-6
- Dr. C. Luer - Icones Pleurothallidinarum XXVI: Pleurothallis subgenus Acianthera and three allied subgenera; A Second Century of New Species of Stelis of Ecuador; Epibator, Ophidion, Zootrophion (2004); ISBN 1-930723-29-6
- Phylogenetic relationships in Pleurothallidinae Archived 2022-07-11 at the Wayback Machine.